“It is easy to find books that recount the numerous ways the United States election system fails, 

but it is far harder

to find thoughtfully considered blueprints for success. In Vote for US, Joshua A. Douglas pairs expertly interpreted
explanations of our voting system with compelling stories of those fighting to make it better. This book is sure to
become an invaluable tool for anyone who cares about the progress of American democracy.”
—JESSICA HUSEMAN, reporter, ProPublica

“Douglas is one of the most important voting-rights experts in the country today. In Vote for US he deftly
chronicles how we can make it easier for every American to vote. An inspiring, innovative, and must-read book
about how to take back our democracy.”
—ARI BERMAN, senior reporter at Mother Jones and author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for
Voting Rights in America

VOTE FOR US
HOW TO TAKE BACK OUR ELECTIONS AND CHANGE THE FUTURE OF VOTING

JOSHUA A. DOUGLAS
An expert on US election law presents an encouraging assessment of current efforts to make our voting system
more accessible, reliable, and effective.

In contrast to the anxiety surrounding our voting system, with stories about voter suppression and
manipulation, there are actually quite a few positive initiatives toward voting rights reform. Professor
Joshua A. Douglas, an expert on our electoral system, examines these encouraging developments in this
inspiring book about how regular Americans are working to take back their democracy, one community
at a time.
     
Told through the narratives of those working on positive voting rights reforms, Douglas includes
chapters on expanding voter eligibility, easing voter registration rules, making voting more convenient,
enhancing accessibility at the polls, providing voters with more choices, finding ways to comply with
voter ID rules, giving redistricting back to the voters, pushing back on big money through local and state
efforts, using journalism to make the system more accountable, and improving civics education. At the
end, the book includes an appendix that lists organizations all over the country working on these efforts.

Accessible for a lay audience and thoroughly researched, this book gives anyone fed up with our current
political environment the ideas and tools necessary to affect change in their own communities.

-more-
Joshua A. Douglas is a professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law. His most recent
scholarship focuses on the constitutional right to vote, with an emphasis on state constitutions, as well as
the various laws, rules, and judicial decisions impacting election administration. He has also written
extensively on election law procedure. He is a coauthor of an election-law case book and a coeditor
of Election Law Stories, which tells the behind-the-scenes stories of the major cases in the field. In
addition, his media commentaries have appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, CNN, Reuters,
the Washington Post, Politico, the Atlantic, Huffington Post, and Slate, among other outlets, and he has
been quoted in major newspapers such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. He appeared
live on CNN on Election Day 2016.
 350 pages • ISBN 9781633885103 • Trade Paperback $18.00
• On Sale Date: April 9, 2019
Ebook ISBN 9781633885110 • Ebook $11.99

Continued Praise for Vote for US:

“This book is a true Profiles in Courage of real-life democracy champions: ordinary citizens who worked in
extraordinary ways to improve elections in their communities. It is required reading for anyone seeking to do their
part to ensure our country fulfills its constitutional promise of one person, one vote.”
—JOCELYN BENSON, secretary of state of Michigan

“Douglas has established himself as one of our sharpest and most important thinkers about election law and
democracy. This must-read not only makes it clear that better democracy is possible but also lays out a well-
defined path to getting there. We all know what’s gone wrong. Douglas knows how to fix it.”
—DAVID DALEY, author of Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count and Unrigged: How Americans
Fought Back, Slayed the Gerrymander, and Reinvented Democracy

“This is the rare book that shows how we will actually fix America’s political crisis. It reveals that vexing political
gridlock, partisanship, extremism, and corruption are caused by broken election, campaign-finance, and ethics
laws. It highlights the unprecedented and fantastically inspiring stories of state and local reformers who are fixing
those laws, right now, at unprecedented levels across our nation…. This book is mandatory reading for anyone
who wants to stop spinning their wheels and address the dystopia that grips American politics.”
—JOSH SILVER, cofounder and director, RepresentUs

“Cogent, well-written, and filled with inspiring stories, Vote for US should be required reading for those who feel
that our democracy is broken. With this book, Douglas takes his place at the forefront of a growing intellectual
effort to chronicle and strengthen the emerging nonpartisan Democracy Movement sweeping across the United
States. Change is possible, and, as Douglas powerfully proves, it is already on its way.”
—FRANCES MOORE LAPPE and ADAM EICHEN, authors of Daring Democracy: Igniting Power,
Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want

-more-
“This is an unmatched text that takes a deep and engaging look at innovative efforts across the country to improve
all aspects of the voting process. The book examines many different approaches that states, localities, and
individuals are taking to bolster our democracy by making voting more accessible and secure. These inspirational
accounts show how feasible changes to our election systems can heighten civic participation and citizens’ trust that
their most fundamental civic right, voting, is protected.”
—JENNIFER BACHNER, PhD, director of the Master of Science in Government Analytics, Johns
Hopkins University, and coauthor of What Washington Gets Wrong

“From the disenfranchisement faced by people with criminal histories to extreme partisan gerrymandering,
polling-site accessibility, and strict voter-ID laws, Vote for US provides a breathtakingly comprehensive overview
of some of the obstacles we face in our democracy today. The possibilities for reform at the state level are also
explored, leaving readers with plenty of reason to be hopeful and optimistic about the future. For those seeking to
understand the modern-day challenges and voter-suppression efforts we are wrestling, this book is a must-read.”
—KRISTEN CLARKE, president and executive director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law
“In Vote for US, Douglas tells the vitally important but largely overlooked story of how grassroots activists, state
and local politicians, and everyday Americans have played an important role in the adoption of positive voting
reforms in this country. The book is a must-read for everyone seeking to make our democracy more inclusive and
dynamic than ever before.”
—FRANITA TOLSON, voting-rights expert and professor of law, Univ. of Southern California Gould
School of Law

“Douglas’s ability to tell the stories of real Americans working to improve our electoral process paints a hopeful
picture of our democracy. This inspiring book will leave readers optimistic about the strength of our country and
the values for which it stands.”
—CHRIS CARSON, president, League of Women Voters of the United States

Prometheus Books
350 pages • ISBN 9781633885103 • Trade Paperback $18.00 •
On Sale Date: April 9, 2019
Ebook ISBN 9781633885110 • Ebook $11.99