What do you think?
Rate this book
Enlighted Democracy
The Electoral College is under siege, denounced as elitist and outdated by the nation's top liberals. In simple, straightforward language, this book reveals the reasons that these liberals are wrong. After reading this book the case is clear: The Electoral College doesn't ignore the will of the people, but it does protect our republic and promote our liberty.
250 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2004
83 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 4, 2012
This book offers an excellent overview of the Electoral College for those unfamiliar with either the foundation or structure of this venerable American institution. In America today, there is an alarming lack of understanding about our history, the American Revolution, and the forming of the governments that started afterward. Few can tell you what the Articles of Confederation are, or why they failed so disastrously. Few have an appreciation for the Constitution, the most brilliant and inspired legal charter ever devised by the minds of man, through the inspiration of God. Few can opine, even on a rudimentary level, on the topic of the doctrine of federalism, the vertical and horizontal separation of powers within government, and the brilliance underlying them as the helped provide for a governing majority, while still protecting the rights of the minorities.
Our Founding Fathers loathed democracy, understood the inherent dangers within, and therefore chose to establish a constitutional republic, with instruments of representative democracy implemented to allow for an expression of the will of the people while also subduing the flames of passion that arise in moments of heated confrontation.
This book provides a concise summary of the inner workings of the Electoral College, and why it has been so immensely successful in providing a stable government for our nation for over two centuries. To all who sing the praises of pure democracy and call for an abolition of the Electoral College in favor of direct democracy, a reading of this book will surely change your mind, IF you love liberty.
Our Founding Fathers loathed democracy, understood the inherent dangers within, and therefore chose to establish a constitutional republic, with instruments of representative democracy implemented to allow for an expression of the will of the people while also subduing the flames of passion that arise in moments of heated confrontation.
This book provides a concise summary of the inner workings of the Electoral College, and why it has been so immensely successful in providing a stable government for our nation for over two centuries. To all who sing the praises of pure democracy and call for an abolition of the Electoral College in favor of direct democracy, a reading of this book will surely change your mind, IF you love liberty.
December 19, 2020
This book has an ultraconservative approach to the Electoral College and related matters. For example, the book suggests that the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (providing for popular election of U.S. senators) was a bad idea. I disagree with most of author's arguments. For my own perspective, see my book The Electoral College: Failures of Original Intent and a Proposed Constitutional Amendment for Direct Popular Vote, which was published in 2018.
(revised December 19, 2020)
(revised December 19, 2020)
December 6, 2016
Repetitive and heavily biased. Author either dismisses or ignores information that undermines whatever point she's trying to make, so her overall thesis ends up feeling tenuous and ill-considered; like a knee-jerk, gut reaction with minimal basis in serious scholarship. Which is unfortunate, because I was really hoping to find a compelling argument in favor of the electoral college, since most of what I find floating around online argues for its repeal. I wanted something that would help balance that scale, but this book is not up to that task.
December 17, 2014
You need to read this book to appreciate a very special mechanism of our republic, the Electoral College. Ross explains how it works, why it was invented, as well as the threats to it from the National Popular Vote movement. Thorougly documented, grounded in history and Constitutional law, this book was not at all a difficult read.
July 9, 2019
I read this in early 2008 and was so impressed by Tara Ross's insightful scholarship that I cancelled an order when someone bought my used copy. I, literally, couldn't part with it! And, Ross, has written others just as engaging. Ross makes the cases that if it was not for this solution to balancing the concerns of small states against the large ones, America may never have happened.
November 6, 2009
An excellent book about the electoral college. Should be required reading for everyone, maybe part of a high school curriculum. Easy reading
January 7, 2017
An important read and one that convinced me of a couple things - the benefits of the electoral college and the benefits of a two-party system. Ross is not only an engaging writer, but she also displays exhaustive knowledge of her subject. Though it's never unclear which side of the fence she is on, she gives ample and equal time to opposing viewpoints.
On her blog Ross describes herself as a "constitutionalist with a definite libertarian streak." She writes of Reagan as the best president ever. I believe he was an evil MF. She cautions readers about the potential pitfalls of pure democracy and reminds one of the benefits of a Republican democracy and federalism. She also cautions the dangers of switching to a direct vote system such as those advocated by Fairvote, Moveon, and NPV (national popular vote). While it's clear that things haven't always been working as they should (an opinion with which she would disagree), she advocates for how the system is designed to work, and that's where I give her high marks.
One fault of the book I find is that eventually her arguments become redundant, both within and between chapters. The entire thing could be boiled down to an essay, but that's not to say that the longer examination is unwarranted or inappropriate. On the contrary, I felt that some of her more esoteric points bear repeating.
In what is a second flaw, I especially find her naive to think backdoor deals don't happen all the time. She seems to think the Electoral College protects us from that, but that's far too ingenuous. In fact, I wonder if she genuinely believes that because it's a point she makes in passing once or twice and not with the same level of repetition as some of her other statements.
That said, this was a timely read. I picked up the book specifically because of our most recent and horrific presidential election cycle and very much of the mind that both the electoral college and the two-party system are detrimental to the nation's stability and well being at this point in time. Though she does not draw this particular conclusion, my own is that the real problem is the high number of people who (proudly sometimes) don't vote, and voters who are uneducated on the issues and on how the system works.
I vote, even when I don't like my options. But like many people, I don't always understand how things at least purportedly work. After debacle 2016, I plan to change that about myself, and this proves to be a good start. There are two things that Ross's book doesn't address - "superdelegates" and how the issue of slavery influenced the adoption of the electoral college, but I feel like I have a much more nuanced understanding and rejuvenated admiration for the unique presidential election system that's stayed intact for practically two and a half centuries! Sure we've had some bobbleheads at the helm, and I can barely grasp what fresh hell is in store for us these next four years, but it could be worse. Hard to believe I'm even saying that. Uggggh.
A different viewpoint: "Bill O’Reilly’s argument for the Electoral College: it keeps white voters in power" http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12...
On her blog Ross describes herself as a "constitutionalist with a definite libertarian streak." She writes of Reagan as the best president ever. I believe he was an evil MF. She cautions readers about the potential pitfalls of pure democracy and reminds one of the benefits of a Republican democracy and federalism. She also cautions the dangers of switching to a direct vote system such as those advocated by Fairvote, Moveon, and NPV (national popular vote). While it's clear that things haven't always been working as they should (an opinion with which she would disagree), she advocates for how the system is designed to work, and that's where I give her high marks.
One fault of the book I find is that eventually her arguments become redundant, both within and between chapters. The entire thing could be boiled down to an essay, but that's not to say that the longer examination is unwarranted or inappropriate. On the contrary, I felt that some of her more esoteric points bear repeating.
In what is a second flaw, I especially find her naive to think backdoor deals don't happen all the time. She seems to think the Electoral College protects us from that, but that's far too ingenuous. In fact, I wonder if she genuinely believes that because it's a point she makes in passing once or twice and not with the same level of repetition as some of her other statements.
That said, this was a timely read. I picked up the book specifically because of our most recent and horrific presidential election cycle and very much of the mind that both the electoral college and the two-party system are detrimental to the nation's stability and well being at this point in time. Though she does not draw this particular conclusion, my own is that the real problem is the high number of people who (proudly sometimes) don't vote, and voters who are uneducated on the issues and on how the system works.
I vote, even when I don't like my options. But like many people, I don't always understand how things at least purportedly work. After debacle 2016, I plan to change that about myself, and this proves to be a good start. There are two things that Ross's book doesn't address - "superdelegates" and how the issue of slavery influenced the adoption of the electoral college, but I feel like I have a much more nuanced understanding and rejuvenated admiration for the unique presidential election system that's stayed intact for practically two and a half centuries! Sure we've had some bobbleheads at the helm, and I can barely grasp what fresh hell is in store for us these next four years, but it could be worse. Hard to believe I'm even saying that. Uggggh.
A different viewpoint: "Bill O’Reilly’s argument for the Electoral College: it keeps white voters in power" http://www.vox.com/identities/2016/12...
November 16, 2016
Very informative, covering the rationale behind the Electoral College, and the flaws of alternative proposals. The book is repetitive at times, and it probably would have serve the author better to steer clear of political issues that might turn off people who disagree with her personal politics from accepting the thesis of the book.
Want to read
December 25, 2011Ok, I hate the electoral college, because it makes sure that my vote doesn't matter, so I'm reading this and a book giving a case against the electoral college. I wonder what this lady has to say about it that's good?
April 20, 2011
Very compelling and well presented argument. It is a book every political science major should read.
September 12, 2012
This is a great book about the presidential election process. It's amazing how uninformed most people are about the process. Read it, so you aren't one of them.
August 22, 2017
An excellent view of its purpose, which most American's are inherently ignorant. Though it is an 18th century creation, it has served its purpose very well. Great book & worthwhile read!
July 27, 2024
Tara Ross does a wonderful job breaking down the arguments both for and against the Electoral College. She writes about the historical origins of the College, and its evolution over time to be the mechanism it is today. Her conclusions are important to consider, particularly during these turbulent political times. If you are looking to understand the College or if you are considering abolishing it, you should read this book.
July 31, 2020
Excellent! Explains electoral college in terms anyone could understand why it’s important. Every high school student should read! I know I don’t learn any of this in the 90’s! Looking forward to reading the authors new book on this topic!
Read
May 12, 2020Stayong open to ideas and experience is essential to remaining teachable.
February 28, 2024
A mindblowingly bad read filled with propaganda and nonsense.
May 18, 2013
Biased as an argument and redundant as a textbook. It was informative and provides a decent foundation to electoral principles. I began reading the book for a better understanding of how electorates work and finished, realizing 'Faithless Electors' was what I had really sought to learn about. Having said that, the 'Faithless Elector' section was pretty good citing a fair number of examples. This isn't a review, not a proper one at least, more so my opinion. I recommend this books to anyone on the fence about the Electoral College, though this book provides an argument for it so I would also recommend finding a good argument against it as well to formulate a decent judgement. As I had mentioned, I had not started the book for that reason.
January 26, 2025
The author brings up a lot of great points for why we should keep the electoral college and not just go with the popular vote. For me, the big thing is this: why should my small town values and culture matter less than the culture of big cities? Just because more people live in one area and all think alike doesn't mean their metropolitan culture should be forced on those of us who live in small communities and prefer to think for ourselves.
April 18, 2012
This book proceeds in lawyerly fashion to pile up Washington’s statements on or concerning religion. To this heap are added his actions (e.g., requesting that public funds be used to pay for Bible for soldiers, etc.)...(read more
January 5, 2025
Meh
Some of her points are interesting, but overall this is repetitive and many of her arguments feel way too thin. Her biases are also abundantly clear. I don't recommend.
Some of her points are interesting, but overall this is repetitive and many of her arguments feel way too thin. Her biases are also abundantly clear. I don't recommend.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews