Gans (American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate) has been involved in studying the American electorate since 1976. This compilation of data is arranged in 11 chapters, each devoted to two decades. Each chapter begins with a series of tables providing a chronology of major events during the period, a chronology of state and federal laws affecting voting during the period, and tables listing different voting requirements as they existed in each state. The remaining portion of each chapter is devoted to a series of tables providing statistical breakdowns of voter turnout in presidential, congressional, and state gubernatorial elections. This statistical reference can serve as a handy source of information for someone interested in, for example, the turnout of voting age Democrats in California in the 1892 presidential election, or which states allowed women to vote in presidential elections before passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, or trends in participation rates over time. The format is horizontal (11x8") to accommodate the tables. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)