Unrigged

December 15, 2019
An uplifting story of how grassroots political movements around the nation are forcing significant changes in how our government operates. Former Salon editor Daley wrote his first book, Ratf**ked (2016), to show how Republicans in many states have used gerrymandering and voting manipulation to guarantee total control of many levels of government for years, even decades, into the future. Guided by powerful new algorithms, they made it virtually impossible for Democrats to defeat them. In his latest book, however, the author offers a much more hopeful outlook, writing about nonpoliticians who have started a powerful new political movement that is catching on across America and is showing every sign of accelerating. One story tells of a 27-year-old woman, an employee in a recycling nonprofit, who wrote on Facebook that she wanted to "take on gerrymandering in Michigan" and asked if anyone was interested. Ultimately, she was able to get portions of Michigan's constitution rewritten. Similar movements soon followed in Colorado, Utah, Ohio, and Missouri, all of which faced powerful opposition, and all of which won. Then, as it became clear that 25 other states had passed laws designed to make it harder for Democrats to win elections--and more difficult for people of color to vote--citizens in those states joined the fight. They won battles dealing not only with gerrymandering, but also with such issues as voter ID laws, precinct closures, voting roll purges, voting rights for released felons, and more. As Daley clearly shows throughout this inspiring text, it was always "ordinary" citizens who led the way, often people who had never participated in politics. They took to the streets, circulated petitions, ran for office, and launched or joined organizations, and they did it while facing overwhelming odds and severe opposition from elected officials. But they never gave up, and they almost always won. A book for anyone who wants to effect major change but thinks they can't.

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January 6, 2020
Journalist and voting rights advocate Daley follows Ratf**ked, his investigation into how Republicans “weaponized gerrymandering” in the wake of President Obama’s 2008 victory, with an uplifting survey of grassroots efforts to make American democracy more inclusive. In 2018, Daley set out to meet with such reformers as Louisiana resident Norris Henderson, who founded Voice of the Ex-offender, an organization that fights to restore voting rights to former felons, after his life sentence for murder was overturned in 2004. Daley also profiles three young Idahoans who traveled the state collecting signatures for a Medicaid expansion bill (it eventually passed with 61% of the vote); Native Americans battling restrictive voter ID laws in Nevada, North Dakota, and Utah; anti-gerrymandering activists in Michigan and Pennsylvania; members of the League of Women Voters, who helped to bring ranked-choice voting to Maine; and Amanda Litman, a former Hillary Clinton campaign staffer who recruits millennial candidates and trains them in the art of running for office. Daley’s wit (the offices of the Election Protection hotline are filled with “enough Starbucks cups to caffeinate The Walking Dead”) and clear explanations of electoral processes make the book accessible to political neophytes as well as experts. This optimistic appraisal of the political scene will strike a chord with progressives gearing up for the 2020 elections.

January 24, 2020

Journalist Daley (Ratf**ked) has written an inspirational polemic about political involvement from a plethora of people in different areas. This work has a clear bias toward certain political positions, which may be its weakness. Its strength, however, is displayed through the examination of activist work that brings to light the common humanity of society's marginalized populations. Much of the book relates to voting rights. For example, Daley describes the disenfranchisement of felons in the United States, especially in Florida, and its racist history. The author further details efforts in Michigan to redistrict voting jurisdictions from where they were formerly gerrymandered for the sake of wealthier areas over poorer districts. Overall, this account shows the significance of more people getting involved in public service after the 2016 election. VERDICT Best suited for civically engaged readers interested in a populist vision for political activism.--Jesse A. Lambertson, Univ. of Chicago Law Libs.

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