You Probably Don't Know This About U.S. Elections

The history of elections in the United States is long, complex and fascinating. Alex Keyssar, the Matthew W. Stirling, Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School knows a thing or two about elections. He's an expert and historian of voting in the United States. In this video, Professor Keyssar shares three things you may not have known about U.S. elections, and after watching you may find your thinking on the subject has changed quite a bit. Professor Keyssar has specialized in the exploration of historical problems that have contemporary policy implications. His book "The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States" (2000) was named the best book in U.S. history by both the American Historical Association and the Historical Society; it was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Award. A significantly revised and updated edition of "The Right to Vote" was published in 2009. His 1986 book, "Out of Work: The First Century of Unemployment in Massachusetts," was awarded three scholarly prizes. Keyssar is coauthor of "The Way of the Ship: America's Maritime History Reenvisioned, 1600-2000 (2008)," and of "Inventing America," a text integrating the history of technology and science into the mainstream of American history.