Democracy Index

Heather K. Gerken is the J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law at Yale Law School, where she teaches election and constitutional law. She is a frequent media commentator on elections and has written for the New Republic, Roll Call, Legal Affairs, and the Legal Times.

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix INTRODUCTION Why We Need a Democracy Index 1 CHAPTER 1: The Perverse Politics of Election Reform Why (We Think) Elections Are Run Badly, and What to Do about It 11 CHAPTER 2: The Promise of Data-driven Reform 38 CHAPTER 3: The Politics of Reform and the Promise of Ranking 66 CHAPTER 4: Is the Game Worth the Candle? 91 CHAPTER 5: Getting from Here to There in Miniature Making the Democracy Index a Reality 108 Conclusion: Getting from "Here to There" Redux 132 AFTERWORD 137 NOTES 143 INDEX 173

"The Democracy Index is an incredibly powerful work because it shows the way forward for using data in the service of reform... A powerful call for a new approach to election administration. Anyone with even a tangential interest in improving our nation's election system should take some time to read the book."--Doug Chapin, Electionline Weekly "Gerken writes in an accessible and engaging style, making this book about a not exactly-sexy topic a pretty good read. Her prose are written in a welcome straight-forward, and unstuffy style... Filled with anecdotes and examples to support and flesh-out the author's arguments, The Democracy Index is a quick, interesting and important read for anyone invested in America getting Democracy right."--Stefan Fergus, Civilian Reader "Gerken is well aware of the pertinent literature and uses it effectively to describe the information we have about voting and the information we lack. I found her argument compelling. I was particularly impressed by the way in which she anticipated criticisms and responded to them. The psychological underpinning upon which she bases her case is equally impressive. This is a very good book with an important idea. I hope that it gains a wide and appreciative readership that generates a much-needed debate on election reform in the United States."--Stephen J. Wayne, Perspectives on Politics "[Gerken's] book provides a valuable contribution and is a very useful starting point for thoughtful discussion and consideration of the data we need to evaluate democracy."--Lonna Rae Atkeson, Political Science Quarterly "Addressing a timely topic in highly accessible style, this book is recommended for all interested readers."--Bob Nardini, Library Journal "The Democracy Index not only reconnects the legal academy with election administration at just the right time, but also points to a new framework for reorienting election law as a field of study and an area for legal reform... Beyond its academic impact on election-law scholarship, The Democracy Index may be a rare example of the best hopes of scholarship, transcending theory into practice as a meaningful political reform where it is badly needed."--Michael S. Kang, Texas Law Review "Anyone interested in learning what's wrong with the American election system should read Heather Gerken's book. It outlines the case for change and gives many concrete examples... Gerken's Democracy Index is an excellent, affordable low risk idea. Let us hope it is taken up. It is certainly worth a try."--Peter Brent, Australian Review of Public Affairs