How to rig an election

Authoritarian rulers have many reasons to want to maintain elections because acquiring office through elections provides legitimacy. But these rulers also want to avoid losing office, which results in vastly diminished influence, eliminates the possibilities of legitimate graft, and could result in imprisonment or worse. Given those worries, leaders rig elections. This book provides a review of the many ways to rig elections. Districts may be drawn in ways that diminish the influence of blocs of voters. Voter registration rules can be altered to reduce registration of opposing voters. Opponents can be excluded by enacting burdensome candidate entry requirements, such as large numbers of signatures. Rulers may use government resources to curry the favor of voters by distributing various benefits. It is also possible to consistently distribute distorted, biased, or false information to influence voters' views of rulers. Finally, violence against opponents can be encouraged. Together, these actions can significantly influence election outcomes. Cheeseman (Univ. of Birmingham, UK) and Klaas (London School of Economics, UK) present this information in a very accessible way. For readers who wish to understand how leaders across a variety of countries can manipulate elections, this is an excellent book. Summing Up: Essential. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Jeffrey M. Stonecash, emeritus, Syracuse University

Cheeseman (democracy & international development, Univ. of Birmingham, UK; Democracy in Africa) and Klaas (fellow in comparative politics, London Sch. of Economics; The Despot's Accomplice) explain that we are in the midst of a democratic recession. Despite an increased number of elections, the authors argue more countries are becoming authoritarian. They combine firsthand experience as election watchers, hundreds of interviews with relevant stakeholders, and use of a through bibliography to tell a global narrative of the various ways elections can be rigged, potential repercussions for the perpetrators, and solutions to detect and prevent such abuses of power. Building on cross-cultural political science works, such as Marc Morjé Howard's The Weakness of Civil Society in Post-Communist Europe, Cheeseman and Klaas -coherently unify circumstances in diverse countries into a cohesive and compelling work on contemporary election rigging. Given the current political landscape, this book should attract broad readership among those interested in topics such as gerrymandering, fake news, and electoral bribery. -VERDICT A highly relevant and realistic look into the waning strength of worldwide democracy through the lens of the election process.-Matt Gallagher, Univ. of the Sciences, Philadelphia © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.