From Nick Capodice & Hannah McCarthy, the hosts of New Hampshire Public Radio's Civics 101, and New Yorker cartoonist Tom Toro, A User's Guide to Democracy is a lively crash course in everything you should know about how the US government works.Do you know what the Secretary of Defense does all day? Are you sure you know the difference between the House and the Senate? Have you been pretending you know what Federalism is for the last 20 years? Don't worry--you're not alone. The American government and its processes can be dizzyingly complex and obscure.Until now.Within this book are the keys to knowing what you're talking about when you argue politics with the uncle you only see at Thanksgiving. It's the book that sits on your desk for quick reference when the nightly news boggles your mind. This approachable and informative guide gives you the lowdown on everything from the three branches of government, to what you can actually do to make your vote count, to how our founding documents affect our daily lives. Now is the time to finally understand who does what, how they do it, and the best way to get them to listen to you.

IntroductionTHE POWERS THAT BEChapter 1 The Legislative BranchChapter 2 The Executive BranchChapter 3 The Judicial BranchSTATES OF THE UNIONChapter 4 FederalismChapter 5 Local GovernmentA GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLEChapter 6 Elections and How They WorkChapter 7 The Electoral CollegeChapter 8 Political PartiesChapter 9 VotingTHE DOCUMENTSChapter 10 The Declaration of IndependenceChapter 11 The ConstitutionChapter 12 The Bill of RightsChapter 13 The AmendmentsTHE ROBESChapter 14 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should KnowChapter 15 Anticanon: Four Bad Supreme Court DecisionsA USER'S GUIDEChapter 16 How to Communicate With Your LegislatorsChapter 17 How to Lobby for What You Believe InChapter 18 How to Write A BillChapter 19 How to Stage A Peaceful ProtestChapter 20 How to Run for OfficeAPPENDIXPop Quiz!Hail to the Chief: Presidential Fun FactsThe Constitution of The United States of America