Zoltan L. Hajnal is the author of several award-winning books, has published in the top political science journals, and has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and a range of other media outlets. He is actively involved in voting rights litigation and local election law reform.

Preface; Part I. Diversity and American Democracy: 1. Setting the stage: diversity and democracy; 2. E pluribus unum: citizenship, demographic change, and diversity; 3. Democracy, inequality, and polarization; Part II. The Experience of Race in The United States: 4. How do individuals experience discrimination in the United States?; 5. How do institutions contribute to racism in the United States?; Part III. The Inputs of Democratic Decision-Making in A Racially Divided America: 6. Public opinion: divided by race?; 7. Political participation; 8. Media, campaigns, and the politics of race; 9. Race and elections; Part IV. Outcomes in American Democracy: 10. Do elected officials look like their constituents?; 11. Does government carry out the will of the people?; 12. Criminal justice; 13. Voting rights; 14. Race and the shaping of American social policies; 15. Diversity and democracy from the bottom up: the past, the present, and the future.

An undergraduate textbook offering a comprehensive, up-to-date, and critical examination of the role that race plays in American politics.