One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy

PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award Finalist, Longlisted for the National Book Award
Best Books of the Year — Washington Post, Boston Globe, NPR, Bustle, NYPL

From the award-winning, NYT bestselling author of White Rage, the startling — and timely — history of voter suppression in America, with a foreword by Senator Dick Durbin, now with a new afterword by the author.

In her New York Times bestseller White Rage, Carol Anderson laid bare an insidious history of policies that have systematically impeded black progress in America, from 1865 to our combustible present. With One Person, No Vote, she chronicles a related history: the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision effectively allowed districts with a demonstrated history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice.

Focusing on the aftermath of Shelby, Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. In gripping, enlightening detail she explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. In a powerful new afterword, she examines the repercussions of the 2018 midterm elections. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans.

"Providing a fascinating historical context for current events, an insightful book to read and consider." Booklist (Starred Review)

"A ripped-from-the-headlines book....Anderson is a highly praised academic who has mastered the art of gathering information and writing for a general readership, and her latest book could not be more timely." Kirkus Reviews

"Shocking and disturbing...an upsetting — but necessary — read." Street Roots News

"Insightful....Anyone interested in American democracy or how equality can be not only legislated but realized will find this account illuminating and clarifying." Publishers Weekly

"A clear, concise, and compelling exploration of racialized voter suppression from Jim Crow through today....impeccably researched and perfectly argued. It's a must-read for anyone interested in politics, policy, and polling." BookRiot, Best Books of the Year

Carol Anderson is the Charles Howard Candler Professor and Chair of African American Studies at Emory University. She is the author of White Rage, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, Bourgeois Radicals, and Eyes off the Prize. She was named a Guggenheim Fellow for Constitutional Studies. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.