Since the birth of democracy in ancient Greece, the act of voting has generated mathematical paradoxes that have puzzled some of the greatest philosophers, statesmen, and mathematicians. Tracing the quest to create a more perfect democracy, George Szpiro details the lives and big ideas of Plato, Pliny the Younger, Ramon Llull, Pierre Simon Laplace, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Kenneth Arrow. Szpiro also explains how mathematical paradoxes and enigmas can crop up in virtually any voting arena, from electing a class president to the apportionment of seats in Congress.