Synopses & Reviews
In 2000, just a few hundred votes out of millions cast in the state of Florida separated Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush from his Democratic opponent, Al Gore. The outcome of the election rested on Florida's 25 electoral votes, and legal wrangling continued for 36 days. Then, abruptly, one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions in U.S. history,
Bush v. Gore, cut short the battle. Since the Florida debacle we have witnessed a partisan war over election rules. Election litigation has skyrocketed, and election time brings out inevitable accusations by political partisans of voter fraud and voter suppression. These allegations have shaken public confidence, as campaigns deploy and#8220;armies of lawyersand#8221; and the partisan press revs up when elections are expected to be close and the stakes are high.
Richard L. Hasen, a respected authority on election law, chronicles and analyzes the battles over election rules from 2000 to the present. From a nonpartisan standpoint he explores the rising number of election-related lawsuits and charges of voter fraud as well as the decline of public confidence in fair results. He explains why future election disputes will be worse than previous onesand#8212;more acrimonious, more distorted by unsubstantiated allegations, and amplified by social media. No reader will fail to conclude with Hasen that election reform is an urgent priority, one that demands the attention of conscientious citizens and their elected representatives.
Also available: The Fraudulent Fraud Squad, an e-excerpt from The Voting Wars
Released February 2012and#160;and#160; 9780300187489and#160;and#160; $1.99
Review
"This is a Stephen King novel for election junkies.and#160; No one has a better eye for the next big thing in election law than Rick Hasen.and#160; The Voting Wars provides an engaging, highly readable guide to the thrill ride we call election season."and#8212;Heather Gerken, author of The Democracy Index:and#160; Why Our Election System is Failing and How to Fix It
Review
"One of the most disturbing recent US political developments is the rapid growth of election administration litigation.and#160; Professor Hasen has masterfullyand#160;described this trend, showing how political partiesand#160;seek to gain advantage through election recounts, voter id laws, absentee ballot procedures, and the like.and#160;Scholars, journalists and interested citizens willand#160;benefit from Hasen's insightful overview of this struggle and theand#160;potential for even more election related controversy and litigation in the future.and#8221;and#8212;Bruce Cain, Heller Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeleyand#160;and#160;
Review
"Just in time for the election, Rick Hasen brings this essential reminder of all the lessons never learned after Bush v. Gore. If we don't course-correct our partisan voting systems and ever more partisan efforts to remedy them, Hasen reminds us that we are looking into the face of a democratic disaster."and#8212;Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Legal Correspondent, Slate magazine
Review
"Nobody knows more about elections and election law than Rick Hasen, and nobody writes more clearly about their complexities. The Voting Wars is a straightforward, clear-headed unbiased account of our flawed system, the multiple damaging controversies we have incurred as a consequence, the polarization that has both caused theand#160;problems and been exacerbated by them, and the risky path ahead. What a timely and important book!"and#8212;Norman J.and#160;Ornstein, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute
Review
"Hasen has done a masterful job of describing the post-Florida 2000 battles over election registration, voting, and vote-counting. This book is a compelling read, and guide to the partisan battleground aptly titled The Voting Wars. Unfortunately, as Hasen explains, our election system is still precariously positioned, needing only one more bad series of events to create the next Presidential election crisis."and#8212;Trevor Potter, Former Commissioner and Chair, Federal Election Commission, and General Counsel, McCain for President, 2000 and 2008
Review
"Hasen is a national treasure to students and practitioners of election law.and#160;His
Voting Wars is a colorful, trenchant, fair-minded and powerfully-argued account of how partisanship and localism continue to haunt the administration of American elections more than a decade after Bush v. Gore and threaten yet another election meltdown."and#8212;Thomas E. Mann, W. Averell Harriman Chair and Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Review
and#8220;The Voting Wars is a spirited, and deeply disturbing, chronicle of the nonstop partisan skirmishing over voting rights, procedures, and laws that has become a pervasive presence in American politics since the disputed 2000 election.and#160;It would be difficult to read Hasenand#8217;s informed and fair-minded account and not worry about the future of American democracy.and#8221;and#8212;Alexander Keyssar, author of The Right to Vote:and#160;The Contested History of Democracy in the United States
Review
“Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, and one of the nations foremost experts on election law, has published a preview of a new book with a sobering reminder for those of us who oppose the growing body of laws requiring identification in order to vote. . . Having established a rare level of sobriety on a very fraught subject, Mr. Hasen makes it clear that he is still very much opposed to these laws.”—David Firestone, New York Times, The Loyal Opposition blog David Firestone
Review
"[A]stute."and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
Review
and#8220;In his well-drawn analysis, UC-Irvine law and political science professor Hasen considers unwieldy procedures, conflicting state laws, politically motivated election challenges, and legal follies that undermine public confidence in the voting process. . . . Hasenand#8217;s timely and factually rich account merits attention from jurists, policy specialists, and government reformers of all political stripes.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
Review
andquot;A masterful blend of legal reasoning and political analysis, Hasenand#39;s new book is the most thorough, nuanced, and compelling treatment I have read of how money in elections reduces political equality and thereby diminishes American democracy. He unabashedly proposes a reform strategy that goes to the heart of the problem.andquot;andmdash;Thomas E. Mann, co-author of Itand#39;s Even Worse Than It Looks
Review
andldquo;Plutocrats United will mark Hasen certainly as the dean of this field.andrdquo; andmdash;Lawrence Lessig, author of Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It
Review
andldquo;There is no better analyst or interpreter of Americaand#39;s campaign finance laws and regime then Rick Hasen. Plutocrats United is Hasen at his finest: a cogent, reasoned critique of what the Supreme Court has and has not done to shape money and American politics, and a roadmap to a better system if and when there is a Court willing to respond to reason.andrdquo;andmdash;Norman Ornstein, co-author, Itand#39;s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism
Review
andquot;Rick Hasen is the foremost scholar working today to make the case for a robust conception of political equality in thinking about the regulation of campaign finance. In this new book he displays all of his well-recognized skills and deep learning. It is clear and readable, both scholarly and accessible, and it will be highly influential in academic and policy development communities , and in the courts. There is no more authoritative source for anyone who seeks a thorough treatment of all the reasons one might care about equality in this era of mega-donors and Super PACs.andquot;--Bob Bauer, former White House Counsel and Professor of Practice, New York University School of Law
Review
andldquo;While others complain about the corruption of money in politics, Rick Hasen, Americaand#39;s leading expert on the electoral process, offers smart, innovative solutions. This book is a andquot;must-readandquot; for anyone who wants to understand the roots of Americaand#39;s profound political inequality -- and wants to do something about it.andrdquo;andmdash;Adam Winkler, UCLA School of Law
Synopsis
The problems uncovered during the debacle of the 2000 presidential election persist, and we can expect far more trouble unless we fix the way we run elections
Synopsis
From a leading expert on election law, a compelling answer to the dilemmas of campaign finance reform
Synopsis
Campaign financing is one of todayandrsquo;s most divisive political issues. The left asserts that the electoral process is rife with corruption. The right protests that the real aim of campaign limits is to suppress political activity and protect incumbents. Meanwhile, money flows freely on both sides. In
Plutocrats United, Richard Hasen argues that both left and right avoid the key issue of the new Citizens United era: balancing political inequality with free speech.
and#160;
The Supreme Court has long held that corruption and its appearance are the only reasons to constitutionally restrict campaign funds. Progressives often agree but have a much broader view of corruption. Hasen argues for a new focus and way forward: if the government is to ensure robust political debate, the Supreme Court should allow limits on money in politics to prevent those with great economic power from distorting the political process.and#160;
About the Author
Richard L. Hasen is Chancellorandrsquo;s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. In 2013 he was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. He lives in Studio City, CA.