Defining Democracy: Electoral Reform and the Struggle for Power in New York City

by Daniel O. Prosterman

Book Overview

In 1936, New Yorkers approved a radical change in local democracy. By a margin of nearly two to one, they replaced the corrupt board of aldermen with a city council elected via proportional representation (PR). Rather than traditional winner-take-all elections between two candidates representing two political parties, PR allowed voters to rank candidates on their ballots in order of preference and guaranteed victory to anyone polling more than...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195377737
• ISBN13: 9780195377736
• Release Date: January 2013
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.4"