Summary of Jessamyn Conrad & Martin Garbus's What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't, Fourth Edition

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

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#1 The American voting system is made up of both national and state elections, and there is a lot of variability between them. The voter registration process is thought to disproportionately affect minority, disadvantaged, and younger voters.

#2 Every election is influenced by the 2000 presidential race between Republican Texas governor George W. Bush and Democratic vice president Albert Al Gore. The Electoral College, which elects the president and vice president, is one of America’s least-loved and least understood institutions.

#3 The Electoral College was created by the founding fathers as a last-ditch compromise on how to choose the president, one of the most hotly debated questions faced by the Constitutional Congress in 1787. Some wanted Congress to choose the president, thinking that they would be best informed and would choose the most qualified candidate, while others argued for direct election by the citizens as a more democratic and egalitarian method.

#4 The Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore halted the recount, deeming it unconstitutional. The Court stated that there was not enough time to come up with a new result. The real nail in the coffin was the Court’s conclusion that there wasn’t enough time to determine whether or not votes were valid.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669381532

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Insights on Jessamyn Conrad & Martin Garbus's What You Should Know About Politics... But Don't, Fourth Edition

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The American voting system is made up of both national and state elections, and there is a lot of variability between them. The voter registration process is thought to disproportionately affect minority, disadvantaged, and younger voters.

#2

Every election is influenced by the 2000 presidential race between Republican Texas governor George W. Bush and Democratic vice president Albert Al Gore. The Electoral College, which elects the president and vice president, is one of America’s least-loved and least understood institutions.

#3

The Electoral College was created by the founding fathers as a last-ditch compromise on how to choose the president, one of the most hotly debated questions faced by the Constitutional Congress in 1787. Some wanted Congress to choose the president, thinking that they would be best informed and would choose the most qualified candidate, while others argued for direct election by the citizens as a more democratic and egalitarian method.

#4

The Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore halted the recount, deeming it unconstitutional. The Court stated that there was not enough time to come up with a new result. The real nail in the coffin was the Court’s conclusion that there wasn’t enough time to determine whether or not votes were valid.

#5

After the 2000 election, in which George W. Bush became president, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act, or HAVA, which helped precincts replace punch-card voting systems and established voting standards.

#6

Voter suppression and intimidation are two different things. With voter suppression, misinformation is spread about how elections work, and with intimidation, people are physically challenged as they try to vote.

#7

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, passed under Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration, extended the franchise to African Americans in the South. However, no blanket right to vote is guaranteed by the Constitution.

#8

The history of electoral controversy is long and rife with examples of both parties being accused of wrongdoing. While Republicans are more commonly accused of voting irregularities, Democrats have been more likely to allege voter fraud and support tighter restrictions on voting.

#9

Vote dilution and vote packing are two ways that districts can be packed. Vote dilution means that a representative can ignore significant numbers of constituents from the opposing party.

#10

There are many organizations that advocate for a different kind of voting or