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You call this democracy? : how to fix our government and return power to the people / Elizabeth Rusch.

by Rusch, Elizabeth.

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HMH Books for Young Readers, c2020.

Democracy -- United States.

Youth -- Political activity -- United States.

Youth -- Political activity.

United States -- Politics and government.

9780358387428 (sc)

0358387426 (sc)

9780358387428 (sc)

0358387426 (sc)

253 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 22 cm.

Front Cover -- Front Flap -- Front Matter -- Reviews -- Title -- Dedication -- Copyright -- Contents -- Introduction: Do You Live in a Democracy? -- Chapter One: You Can't Vote for President -- Why Electors? -- Winners Lose -- Close Races and Ties -- Only a Few States Matter -- Americans Want to Elect Their President -- The State Solution -- What You Can Do -- Chapter Two: Strange Maps -- What Is Gerrymandering? -- How Redistricting Is Supposed to Work -- How to Draw an Unfair Map -- Bad For People of Color, Bad For Us All -- Both Parties Gerrymander -- Power to the Citizens.

Citizen Success -- What You Can Do -- Chapter Three: Unrepresentative Senate -- Chapter Four: Elections for Sale -- Money Talks -- What is Legal? -- What Dark Money Can Do -- The Problem with Lobbyists -- The Wishes of the Wealthy -- Priced Out of Public Service -- No-Pac Pledge -- What Americans Want -- Publicly Funded Campaigns -- Widespread Support -- Citizens Rise Up -- What You Can Do -- For More Information -- Chapter Five: The Right to Lie -- What You Can Do -- Chapter Six: Suppressing the Vote -- Voter Purges -- Reducing Access to Polling Places -- Limits on Early Voting.

Can I See Your ID? -- The Voter Fraud Myth -- The People Hit Hardest -- Part of a Racist System -- Multiple Barriers -- Let People Vote! -- What You Can Do -- Chapter Seven: Shut Out of Statehood -- What You Can Do -- Chapter Eight: Barred from Voting -- Should Your Right to Vote Depend on Where You Live? -- How Bad Is a Felony? -- Afraid to Vote -- Barred While Black -- No Conviction and No Vote -- Communities Suffer -- Voting Promotes Public Safety -- A Constitutional Right to Vote? -- Free the Vote -- Restore the Vote, Restore Democracy -- To the Polls -- What You Can Do.

Chapter Nine: Too Young to Vote? -- Do Teens Deserve a Say? -- Are Young People Competent to Vote? -- Do Young People Have Enough Political Knowledge? -- Would Teens Just Copy Their Parents? -- Would Teens Just Copy Their Friends? -- Lowering the Voting Age Can Improve Turnout for All Ages -- Who Can Lower the Voting Age? -- What You Can Do -- Who Can Help -- Chapter Ten: Real Representation -- Why Should We Care About Diversity in Government? -- Many Perspectives -- Voters Are Not the Problem -- You Have to Run to Win -- No Invitation to the Party -- The Problem with Incumbents.

Racism and Sexism -- Stepping Up -- Save Me a Seat -- What You Can Do -- Chapter Eleven: Voter Turnoff -- Why Every Vote Counts -- Barriers to Voting -- Lack of Knowledge -- Boost Participation -- Automatic Voter Registration -- Vote at Home -- Get Out the Vote! -- We Need Young Voters -- What You Can Do -- Chapter Twelve: Let's Fix Our Democracy! -- You Can Vote! -- Five Important Names -- One Issue or the Whole Shebang? -- The Power of Your State -- If State Change, the Country Follows -- Reach Out to Your Representatives -- The Most Powerful Technique -- Lobby with Others -- Rise Up.

The political landscape has never been so tumultuous: issues with the electoral college, gerrymandering, voter suppression, and a lack of representation in the polls and in our leadership have led to Americans of all ages asking, How did we get here? The power to change lies with the citizens of this great country--especially teens! Rather than pointing fingers at people and political parties, You Call This Democracy? looks at flaws in the system--and offers a real way out of the mess we are in. Each chapter breaks down a different problem plaguing American democracy, exploring how it's undemocratic, offering possible solutions (with examples of real-life teens who have already started working toward them), and suggesting ways to effect change--starting NOW!

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