Alex Keyssar
Professor & Author of the 2020 HUP book "Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?", Harvard Kennedy School
Alexander Keyssar is the Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy. A historian by training, he 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. In addition, he has co-edited a book series on Comparative and International Working-Class History. In 2004/5, Keyssar chaired the Social Science Research Council’s National Research Commission on Voting and Elections, and he writes frequently for the popular press about American politics and history. Keyssar’s latest book, entitled Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? (2020), is published by Harvard University Press.
Relevant Media
- “Why do the media call races in US elections?” in The Associated Press
- “The Electoral College: What Is It Good For?” on WGBH Boston
- “How did we get the Electoral College, and why do we still have it?” on WTOP News
- “Six ways adults can help children make sense of a divisive election” in the Washington Post
- “The Electoral College” Episode of NPR’s Throughline podcast
- “How to fix America’s voter registration system so more people can vote” in Vox
- “Should The Electoral College Exist?” WBUR Boston
I can help with...
- Electoral College
- In-person Voting
- Mail-in Voting