Here are some questions you might use to help jump start a book-club discussion about Election Insiders.
Do you agree with the author’s observation that most voters don’t give much thought to the logistics of voting, except when things seem to be going wrong? How does that premise relate to your own experience as a voter?
What, if any, misconceptions about voting did the book clear up for you? What new information about voting, if any, did you gain from reading this book?
Have you ever worked as a paid poll worker? How would you describe that experience? What training did you get? Did it help you? What did working as a poll worker teach you about how voting really works? What were your observations about voters?
How does your voting jurisdiction compare to the one described in detail in Election Insiders? What are the similarities? What are the differences?
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most, how much would you say you knew about the behind-the-scenes processes of voting before you read this book? What, if anything, would you like to know more about in your own jurisdiction, now that you’ve read the book?
Where is your polling place? Has it changed recently? Do you think that polling places have been moved or eliminated as a way of suppressing voters?
Have you ever had a problem when you tried to vote? What happened? How was the problem resolved?
What do you think is the main strength of the US voting system? What is its biggest weakness?
What changes have you noticed taking place in the way you vote, as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. How do you feel about those changes?
In Election Insiders, the author describes the US voting system as a “crazy quilt” and a “mishmash.” What are the pros and cons of a decentralized voting structure? How could it be changed to make it more fair and secure?
Did the information in Election Insiders make you feel more confident or less confident about voting, or did it have no impact at all?
What was your main takeaway from Election Insiders?