Race and Partisanship in California Redistricting: From the 1965 Voting Rights Act to Present studies redistricting and its evolution in California since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It poses the question: What is the interactive play of race and partisanship in redefining the meaning of political representation through redistricting? Unlike other studies of redistricting, it focuses not on the South but on the West, not on White versus Black, but on the difficulties of diversity. It tells the story of redistricting in California, which has now become one of the most left-leaning states and is considered a harbinger of political trends in the United States. Ultimately, this is a book that looks forward by looking backward at the tug-and-pull of redistricting efforts aimed at ensuring greater equality in a racially diverse democracy and asks: What is the role played by race and partisanship in the voting rights revolution? How does that vary far from the traditional flashpoints of American race relations? What does that tell us about the redefinition of political representation in the past half-century? And––most crucially––what does it foretell, for the next half century?

A redistricting crisis is now upon us. This surprising, compelling book tells the history of how we got to this moment—from the Founding Fathers to today’s high-tech manipulation of election districts—and shows us as well how to protect our most sacred, hard-fought principle of one person, one vote. Here is THE book on gerrymandering for citizens, politicians, journalists, activists, and voters. “Seabrook’s lucid account of the origins and evolution of gerrymandering—the deliberate and partisan doctoring of district borders for electoral advantage—makes a potentially dry, wonky subject accessible and engaging for a broad audience.” —The New York Times Nick Seabrook, an authority on constitutional and election law and an expert on gerrymandering (pronounced with a hard ‘G’!), begins before our nation’s founding, with the rigging of American elections for partisan and political gain and the election meddling of George Burrington, the colonial governor of North Carolina, in retaliation against his critics. The author writes of Patrick Henry, who used redistricting to settle an old score with political foe and fellow Founding Father James Madison (almost preventing the Bill of Rights from happening), and of Elbridge Gerry, the Massachusetts governor from whose name “gerrymander” derives. One Person, One Vote explores the rise of the most partisan gerry­manders in American history, put in place by the Republican Party after the 2010 census. We see how the battle has shifted to the states via REDMAP—the GOP’s successful strategy to control state governments and rig the results of state legislative and congressional elections over the past decade. Seabrook makes clear that a vast new redistricting is already here, and that to safeguard our republic, action is needed before it is too late.

A portrait of how the 1990s round of redistricting treated the racial and linguistic minorities that had been given special protections by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, primarily African-Americans, but also Native Americans, Asian-Americans, and those of Spanish heritage. Throughout the volume, the primary focus is on the practical politics of redistricting and its consequences for racial representation. Almost all the authors have been directly involved in the 1990s redistricting process either as a legislator, a member of the Voting Rights Section of the Justice Department, a member of a districting commission, or, most commonly, as an expert witness or lawyer in voting rights cases. All bring to bear special insights as well as insider knowledge of Congressional and state redistricting.

This collective work offers a historical approach to the issue of voters’ mobilisation and, through case studies, aims to expand the fi eld’s research agenda by taking into account less familiar mobilising strategies from various groups or parties, both in Britain and the United States. Two different yet complementary approaches are used, one from the top down with political parties, the other from the bottom up with grassroots organisations, to analyze how these groups either (re-)connect citizens with politics or give birth to social movements which durably occupy and change the political landscape of the United States and Britain.

This new sixth edition brings together nuanced treatment of some of todayÆs most pressing matters in the politics of race and ethnicity, from immigration policy and the changing demographics of the U.S. electorate to promoting racial diversity in public schools and the impact of hate speech. Sure to spark lively classroom discussion, Issues in Race and Ethnicity allows students to see an issue from all sides and examine how policy is made and implemented. Each chapter examines the key players, stakes, and lessons for the future, while covering the range of fact, analysis, and opinion surrounding each issue. For current coverage, your students will appreciate the balanced and unbiased reporting of CQ Researcher, along with the following useful features: a pron box that examines two competing sides of a single question; a detailed chronology; an annotated bibliography and web resources; and photos, charts, graphs, and maps. Customize your own book! Choose from an extensive collection of CQ Researcher articles and create the Issues in Race and Ethnicity that is perfect for your class. Find out more at custom.cqpress.com.

This book offers a critical re-evaluation of three fundamental and interlocking themes in American democracy: the relationship between race and politics, the performance and reform of election systems and the role of courts in regulating the political process. This edited volume features contributions from some of the leading voices in election law and social science. The authors address the recurring questions for American democracy and identify new challenges for the twenty-first century. They not only consider where current policy and scholarship are headed, but also suggest where they ought to go over the next two decades. The book thus provides intellectual guideposts for future scholarship and policy making in American democracy.

No previous book has pulled together into one place a single, comprehensive volume that provides up-to-date coverage of state government and politics, along with the states’ current and future public policies. This new book does just that, offering students, scholars, citizens, policy advocates, and state specialists accessible information on state politics and policy in 33 topical chapters written by experts in the field. The guide provides contemporary analysis of state institutions, processes, and public policies, along with both historical and theoretical perspectives that help readers develop a comprehensive understanding of the 50 U.S. states’ complex and changing political spheres. Those who use this volume—from experienced scholars to neophytes—can rely upon the guide to provide: Basic factual information on state politics and policy; Core explanatory frameworks and competing arguments; and Insightful coverage of major policy areas as they have played out in the states.