Down for the Count

February 29, 2016
With the 2016 election season in full flower, Gumbel, a British-born journalist, has “updated and thoroughly revised” his 2005 work Steal This Vote to further showcase the shortcomings of American representative democracy. The veteran columnist lists a number of defects in a history of “dirty elections,” such as gerrymandering, lack of national uniformity in voting rules, restrictive voter ID laws in several GOP-controlled states, over-the-top campaign spending, and instances of voter fraud. Integrating interviews with officials from both major political parties and a keen analysis of transgressions past and present, Gumbel digs into the racist, exclusionary legality of Jacksonian democracy, the strong-arm tactics of Boss Tweed’s Tammany Hall machine, the methodical obstacles to voting in the Jim Crow South, the bully-boy grip of Richard Daley’s Chicago, the Bush vs. Gore Florida recount fiasco, and the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. The history of the American system is rife with documented examples of disenfranchisement and voter suppression. As former president
Jimmy Carter observed in 2004, “The American political system wouldn’t measure up to any sort of international standards.” Gumbel’s assured, confident voice holds the reader’s attention as he cautions against “apathy and political disengagement.”

April 1, 2016

Journalist Gumbel (coauthor, Oklahoma City) looks at the shady past of the American political system to try to explain why the present structure seems to be so badly broken. There are chapters on historical and current voter disenfranchisement efforts and the promises and very real threats of technology ruling the voting process. The usual suspects are blamed here: conservatives, elites, and the incumbents who do not want to upset their favorable status quo. The insidious influence of lobbyists and big money is always at the forefront, and the recent election problems have led to further partisan division rather than a coming together to fix things. Gumbel is hopeful that the electorate will become so disgusted that it will demand changes, and he offers suggestions for improvements to policies and procedures. VERDICT This revised edition of 2005's Steal This Vote contains numerous reference source notes. The easy-to-read narrative may make your blood boil, but it shows that U.S. citizens' bitter anger with their government has a long and shameful history and is certainly justified. Suitable for all libraries at this contentious time.--Daniel Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL

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