Unpopular government in the United States

The author defines unpopular government as rule by a minority against popular will and traces how fragmentation of offices, frequent elections, complex electoral districts, and limited voter knowledge transfer effective control to organized politocrats who direct the electorate and maintain power extra-legally. He analyzes the mechanisms that enable and secure this control, then evaluates reforms—political education, the Australian ballot and civil-service laws, elimination of party-column ballots, primaries, initiative, referendum, recall, independent movements, and the commission form of municipal and state government—and discusses proposals for uniting executive and legislative functions, reforming second chambers, judicial selection, and federal adjustments to restore responsiveness.