Short Synopsis
Victoria Bassetti discusses the many issues surrounding voting in the United States, in this eye-opening, fact-filled companion to the PBS documentary of the same name.

Full Synopsis
Imagine a country where the right to vote is not guaranteed by the Constitution, where the candidate with the most votes loses, and where paperwork requirements and bureaucratic bungling disenfranchise millions. You're living in it. If the consequences weren't so serious, it would be funny.

An eye-opening, fact-filled companion to the forthcoming PBS documentary starring political satirist and commentator Mo Rocca, Electoral Dysfunction illuminates a broad array of issues, including the Founding Fathers' decision to omit the right to vote from the Constitution and the legal system's patchwork response to this omission; the battle over voter ID, voter impersonation, and voter fraud; the foul-ups that plague Election Day, from ballot design to contested recounts; the role of partisan officials in running elections; and the antidemocratic origins and impact of the Electoral College. The book concludes with a prescription for a healthy voting system by Heather Smith, president of Rock the Vote.

Published in the run-up to the 2012 election, Electoral Dysfunction is for listeners across the political spectrum who want their votes to count.

"Marguerite Gavin's brisk pace and clear tone, with just a touch of a grin at the funny places, makes listening to this darkly humorous analysis of our electoral process as entertaining as it is informative. . . . Listeners fortunate enough to pick up this intriguing look at politics are in for a treat." ---AudioFile

"Crisply written, irreverent yet engaged. . . . A lively, witty survey of the numerous ailments that afflict the American electoral system." ---Alexander Keyssar

"A well-written, enlightening look at how, when it comes to access to the ballot box and other voter rights, the world's second oldest democracy still has a long way to go." ---Publishers Weekly

"In this fascinating, funny, and, at times, downright frightening companion to the PBS documentary, narrators Marguerite Gavin and Lloyd James deliver entertaining performances that explain the ins and outs of voting in America." ---Publishers Weekly Audio Review