Making Democracy Count

November 1, 2024
A writer and academic explores how math can be used to understand and critique the world of politics. "Math is a clarifying way of looking at the world," Volic writes in his introduction; by introducing readers to this specific perspective, he hopes to lead them to a new view on the contentious topic of politics. The author explains that, for him, democracy is "a piece of civic infrastructure that runs on mathematics." That idea forms the backbone of a university class he teaches on the topic that regularly outrages students as they realize the counterintuitive nature of many long-standing political systems. With this book, Volic aims to bring that classroom experience to a wider audience. He structures his detailed examination of math and politics by first analyzing voting, then issues of representation, finally providing an explanation of how all of his ideas came together using concrete examples of civic infrastructure, both historical and contemporary. Volic walks readers through the ins and outs of simple majorities and pluralities and lays out the basics of mathematic theorems--the pinnacles of mathematical knowledge--noting the difficulty of translating notions like the "best" voting system into mathematic language. Early on, Volic brings out one of his most salient and important arguments, detailing how many "convenient numbers" used in the world's democracies are largely unjustified. His primary example is membership in the House of Representatives being fixed at 435 seats, but there are several other examples that similarly become infuriating when looked at objectively. The author provides numerous examples, from Eurovision protocols to the 2010 Oakland, California mayoral race, to illustrate the instant runoff system, which here receives ample attention and detailed explanations, forming a cornerstone of Volic's recommendations. From there, the author moves on to perhaps the most enraging political processes of them all, discussing gerrymandering and the electoral college, walking readers through the fine points of everything wrong with a system that works against fair representation. (He also offers several examples of proportional representation in other countries outside the U.S.) Volic's book is rich with ideas and explanations, and he writes with an enthusiasm for his subject that is infectious. It's easy to imagine the author in front of a classroom, leading the students to lightbulb-moment realizations while being humorous and approachable. His writing is calibrated to speak to the greatest number of people, not just college-level students or academics. Volic's humor, in particular, renders even the most complicated sections accessible. "The rest of this chapter will be exasperating. Irritating," he writes at one point; he even puts a winking spin on his footnotes, proclaiming, "If you don't know what MAGA is, you've either spent the last seven or so years in a well or you're reading this 150 years from the time it was written." Despite the passionate prose, the numerous tables, laws, and theorems can start to blur together--the subject remains complicated and academic at its core. Happily, there is just enough of Volic's voice--and his own story as an immigrant from Bosnia Herzegovina--to keep even the most math-averse reader pushing through the difficult sections, eager to hear more of his ideas. A fascinating perspective on challenging subject matter.

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