Freshly Printed - allow 8 days lead
The Turnout Gap
Race, Ethnicity, and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America
Persistent racial/ethnic gaps in voter turnout produce elections that are increasingly unrepresentative of the wishes of all Americans.
Bernard L. Fraga (Author)
9781108475198, Cambridge University Press
Hardback, published 13 December 2018
288 pages, 46 b/w illus. 16 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.4 cm, 0.52 kg
'Fraga's analysis is highly rigorous, and his evidence exceeds expectations. Indeed, this book would serve as an excellent teaching tool for an advanced Methods course … For both its impressive substantive and methodological contributions, Fraga's timely book is sure to make a significant impact.' Heather Silber Mohamed, Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics
In The Turnout Gap, Bernard L. Fraga offers the most comprehensive analysis to date of the causes and consequences of racial and ethnic disparities in voter turnout. Examining voting for Whites, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans from the 1800s to the present, Fraga documents persistent gaps in turnout and shows that elections are increasingly unrepresentative of the wishes of all Americans. These gaps persist not because of socioeconomics or voter suppression, but because minority voters have limited influence in shaping election outcomes. As Fraga demonstrates, voters turn out at higher rates when their votes matter; despite demographic change, in most elections and most places, minorities are less electorally relevant than Whites. The Turnout Gap shows that when politicians engage the minority electorate, the power of the vote can win. However, demography is not destiny. It is up to politicians, parties, and citizens themselves to mobilize the potential of all Americans.
1. Introduction
2. Race and turnout in historical context
3. Are sociodemographic factors the answer?
4. Electoral influence and the turnout gap
5. The political geography of the turnout gap
6. How electoral districts shape turnout rates
7. Do modern election policies exacerbate the gap?
8. Demographic change and the future of minority turnout
Appendix.
Subject Areas: Political structures: democracy [JPHV], Ethnic studies [JFSL]