[EL] And the best, most recent book on election law that I read was....

[Mark Schmitt]

Sorry, the author is J. Douglas Smith. I must have had Stephen A. Smith on
my mind.

Mark Schmitt
202/246-2350
gchat or Skype: schmitt.mark
twitter: mschmitt9


On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 10:55 PM, Mark Schmitt <schmitt.mark at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I'm only about 2/3 of the way through, but I've totally enjoyed and
> learned a lot from *On Democracy's Doorstep,* the recent book by Douglas
> A. Smith about Baker v. Carr, Reynolds v. Sims and the other one-person,
> one-vote cases. It's one of those good Supreme Court books that doesn't try
> to create a breathless narrative, but still shows the ways in which
> personalities, clerks, and happenstance affect the outcome. What now seems
> like such an obvious principle (except for the U.S. Senate) was not at all
> obvious at the time, and a lot of things had to line up to create
> one-person, one-vote. It's also a reminder that, however outrageous current
> redistricting schemes may be, not that long ago a significant number of
> states had systems in which a majority of voters elected 30% or less of the
> legislature.
>
> I learned about the book from this list, so I'm pleased to recommend it
> here.
>
> Mark Schmitt
> 202/246-2350
> gchat or Skype: schmitt.mark
> twitter: mschmitt9
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 5:41 PM, Schultz, David A. <dschultz at hamline.edu>
> wrote:
>
>>
>> Hi all:
>>
>> I want to acknowledge the best election law book that I have read in some
>> time. It is James Gardner’s WHAT ARE CAMPAIGNS FOR?
>>
>> Too often and too much of what goes on in the election law listserv is
>> simply ego-driven self-promotion where we spend too much time promoting
>> ourselves and our own scholarship, playing one-upmanship over another.
>> However, we forget that the field of election law is not only about law and
>> policy but it is an intellectual endeavor where we should be trying to
>> learn from one another.  Rarely do I see any of us acknowledging others,
>> saying that we have actually read their scholarship and that we have grown
>> from it or learned something that we have not seen.  Instead if other are
>> read I see too much in this listserv seeking to find fault with others and
>> show why they are wrong.  Or worse, in a field (election law) where most of
>> the scholarship is law review driven, for those of us who write books it is
>> disheartening that too few read them.  I am reminded of a book by Ben
>> Barber (one of my teachers) who in STRONG DEMOCRACY said that American
>> democracy is noisy and full of talk but few listen.  To have a real
>> conversation we all need to listen to what others say and take heart and
>> mind of what they say.
>>
>> I say all of this because, as noted at the top of the e-mail, Gardner’s
>> book is outstanding. Yes it is from 2009 but I finally read it and his
>> arguments about deliberation, voting, and election law are really
>> fascinating and worth reading.  He does a terrific job combining empirical
>> political science with theory and law, something we need to do a better job
>> as a discipline.
>>
>> I think it would be nice if others on this listserv spent a few minutes
>> or posted an e-mail indicating the best or most interesting book they have
>> read about election law recently and acknowledge the author for his or her
>> work.  Yes I sound polly anyish (?) but sometimes it is ok to give a
>> shameless promotion for someone else besides yourself.
>>
>> --
>> David Schultz, Professor
>> Editor, Journal of Public Affairs Education (JPAE)
>> Hamline University
>> Department of Political Science
>> 1536 Hewitt Ave
>> MS B 1805
>> St. Paul, Minnesota 55104
>> 651.523.2858 (voice)
>> 651.523.3170 (fax)
>> http://davidschultz.efoliomn.com/
>> http://works.bepress.com/david_schultz/
>> http://schultzstake.blogspot.com/
>> Twitter:  @ProfDSchultz
>> My latest book:  Election Law and Democratic Theory, Ashgate Publishing
>> http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754675433
>> FacultyRow SuperProfessor, 2012, 2013
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>
>
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