Overview

How do laws governing voting and elections shape political representation and power in the USA? Are some demographic and socioeconomic groups of Americans over- or under-represented in Congress, state legislatures, and other elected offices? How do factors like gerrymandering and voting rights influence America's democratic institutions? This accessible resource answers all these questions and many more. This one-stop resource provides readers with historical context, explanations of current controversies and developments, and illuminating primary sources related to political representation. Original essays offer a range of perspectives, while profiles of significant figures and organizations—from Susan B. Anthony to the American Civil Liberties Union—provide insight into how this issue has evolved over time.

Full Product Details

Author:   Caroline Heldman (Associate Professor of Politics, Occidental College, USA) ,  Lori Cox Han (Chapman University, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN:  

9798765120378

Pages:   264
Publication Date:   08 January 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Primary & secondary/elementary & high school ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Educational: Primary & Secondary
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Preface 1. Background and History The U.S. Constitution The Bill of Rights Democratic Representation: Models and Types The Expansion of Suffrage and Voting Rights Representation Among Demographic Groups Selecting Representatives Conclusion Further Reading 2. Problems, Controversies, and Solutions Expanding Voting Rights Contracting Voting Rights Voter Turnout in the United States Demographics of Voter Turnout Diversity among Elected Officials Conclusion Further Reading 3. Perspectives Young People in American Politics: Past, Present, and Future, Rebecca Bargiachi Leading in Lavender: LGBTQ+ Representation in the United States, Daryl Barker Latine Political Representation, Patricia Esparza The Evolution of AAPI Political Representation in the United States, Mary Chung Hayashi “Why Don’t Young People Vote?”: An Analysis of HBCU Student Political Apathy in Louisiana’s Conservative Climate, Cassandra Shepard 4. Profiles Organizations AAPI Advocacy Alliance AARP American Civil Liberties Union American Political Science Association Black Lives Matter EMILY’s List Equality Now GLAAD Human Rights Campaign LULAC NAACP National LGBTQ Task Force National Organization for Women National Urban League Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL) SBA Pro-Life America The Asian American Foundation UnidosUS United States Supreme Court People Susan B. Anthony Cesar Chavez Hillary Rodham Clinton Frederick Douglass Kamala Harris Dolores Huerta Jesse Jackson Marcia P. Johnson Martin Luther King, Jr. Harvey Milk Patsy Mink Barack Obama Silvia Rivera Sonya Sotomayor Elizabeth Cady Stanton Gloria Steinem Leona Tate Harriet Tubman Malcolm X Further Reading 5. Data and Documents Data 2024 Presidential Election Exit Polls Census Data on Income and Education by Demographic Categories Demographic Data for the 118th Congress Documents Constitutional Provisions John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women, 1869 The NAACP Adds Its Voice to the Women’s Suffrage Movement, 1915 A. Phillips Randolph Urges Black Americans to Support Suffrage, 1917 Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, “Woman Suffrage,” 1918 The Civil Rights Act, 1964 Wesberry v. Sanders, 1964 The Voting Rights Act, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks at the Signing of the Voting Rights Act, 1965 South Carolina v. Katzenbach, 1966 Shaw v. Reno, 1993 Shelby County v. Holder, 2013 6. Resources Books Scholarly Journals Online Resources 7. Chronology Glossary Index About the Authors

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Author Information

Lori Cox Han, PhD, is Professor of Political Science and Doy B. Henley Chair of American Presidential Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California, USA. Caroline Heldman, PhD, is a political scientist and Chair of the Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies program at Occidental College in Los Angeles, USA.

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