The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote and How to Get It Back

by Thom Hartmann

Overview

"Hartmann's history of voter suppression in America is necessary information given current news about voter registration purges and redistricting...a particularly timely topic for an election year, and anyone who is seriously concerned about the survival of American democracy will want to read this book and apply its lessons."—Booklist

America's #1 progressive radio host looks at how elites have long tried to disenfranchise citizens—particularly people of color, women, and the poor—and shows what we can do to ensure everyone has a voice in this democracy.

In today's America, only a slim majority of people register to vote, and a large percentage of registered voters don't bother to show up: Donald Trump was elected by only 26 percent of eligible voters. Unfortunately, this is not a bug in our system, it's a feature. Thom Hartmann unveils the strategies and tactics that conservative elites in this country have used, from the foundation of the Electoral College to the latest voter ID laws, to protect their interests by preventing "the wrong people"—such as the poor, women, and people of color—from voting while making it more convenient for the wealthy and white. But he also lays out a wide variety of simple, commonsense ways that we the people can fight back and reclaim our right to rule through the ballot box.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781523087785
Publisher:	Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication date:	02/11/2020
Series:	The Thom Hartmann Hidden History Series , #3
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	182,284
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Thom Hartmann is a progressive national and internationally syndicated talk show host. Talkers Magazine named him America's #1 most important progressive host and the host of one of the top 10 talk radio shows in the country every year for over a decade. A four-time recipient of the Project Censored Award, Hartmann is also a New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two books, translated into multiple languages.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Heartbeat of Democracy 1

Control the Vote, Control the Country 4

Part 1 The Hidden History of the Vote in America 13

Power to the South: The Three-Fifths Compromise 14

The Racist Legacy of a Constitutional Compromise 16

The Founders Feared a Trump-like President-Which Is Why They Established the Electoral College 18

The Electoral College and Slavery 23

The Unique Struggles of Women and Native Americans to Vote 26

The Generational Fight for Women's Suffrage 28

Silencing and Suppressing Native Voices 30

Madison's Warning 32

Part 2 The Economic Royalists' Modern War on Voting 35

Why Racists Don't Want Everyone to Vote 36

The Racist Backlash to Brown v. Board 39

Conservative Excuses for Preventing Everyone from Voting 41

The Billionaires' Trick to Keep Everyone from Voting 50

Buying Politicians, Selling Lies, and Suppressing the Vote 56

The Rise of Social Issues 60

Promoting New(t)speak 63

The Day the Music Died 67

A New War on the Vote 69

Is Voting a Right? Should It Be? 73

Numbers, Not Voters 76

Stacey Abrams Was Robbed 78

Exit Polling around the World 87

Exit Polls in the US and Red Shift Explained 90

Voting Machines, Hacking, and Red Shift 93

Privatizing the Vote with Voting Machines 96

Suppressing the Vote with Provisional Ballots 98

Diluting the Vote with Gerrymandering 100

Depressing the Vote with Money in Politics 103

The Beginnings of a Myth: Voting Fraud 106

Voting Fraud: From Myth to Dogma 107

Kris Kobach: The Voting Fraud Myth Becomes a Mission 111

Interstate Crosscheck and the Election Integrity Scam 114

Part 3 Solutions 119

The GOP's Grand Stand against Voting and Democracy 120

Republicans Oppose "For the People Act of 2019" 121

Automatic Voter Registration 124

Restore the Vote for Returning Citizens 127

End Voter Caging 130

Make Election Day a National Holiday 132

Vote by Mail 133

Extend Early Voting 136

Paper Ballots or Paper Receipts 137

Stopping Politicians from Choosing Their Own Voters 139

The Electoral College and a National Popular Vote 140

Voting Systems Shape Elections: Getting beyond Two Parties 141

Compulsory Voting 143

DC and Puerto Rico Statehood, Splitting Up Big States 145

Get Out There, Get Active 148

Finally 148

Notes 151

Acknowledgments 161

Index 163

About the Author 175

Editorial Reviews

"Perhaps the single most important factor in maintaining a healthy, functioning democracy is protecting citizens’ right to vote. And one of the greatest threats to democracy in the U.S. is the ongoing, systematic effort to suppress the votes of large segments of society. Progressive talk-show host Hartmann (The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment, 2019) paints a disturbing picture of this problem. Since the country’s founding, there has been a constant struggle between those who have sought to expand and protect voting rights, and powerful elites who have sought to restrict voting rights to a preferred few. Hartmann’s history of voter suppression in America is necessary information given current news about voter registration purges and redistricting. But Hartmann follows up his history with practical guidelines on how people can protect their voting rights. This is a particularly timely topic for an election year, and anyone who is seriously concerned about the survival of American democracy will want to read this book and apply its lessons."
—Booklist

“This engaging, brutally honest, and meticulously documented book is a must-read for every American who recognizes that our common future depends on achieving the democracy we thought we had but never did.”
—David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World and Change the Story, Change the Future
 
“In this timely and important book, Thom Hartmann challenges us to fight for our fundamental right as American citizens to vote—a right that is not guaranteed in the Constitution but should be. For far too long, this basic principle of our democratic republic has been under constant attack, largely by corporate interests that literally profit from voter suppression. This book is an indispensable manual for waging—and winning—civic warfare. Use it!”
—David Bender, Political Director, Progressive Voices Network
 
“Is Thom Hartmann psychic or what? His book on voting is eerily prescient and right on time as usual. A grateful nation thanks you, Thom!”
—Stephanie Miller, comedian and talk show host

From the Publisher