Carol Anderson

Long-listed for the National Book Award in Nonfiction From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of White Rage, the startling--and timely--history of voter suppression in America, with a foreword by Senator Dick Durbin. 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. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans as the nation gears up for the 2018 midterm elections.

How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy

One Person, No Vote

Cindy

Steph Lodico

As a white person, I have never waited more than 5 minutes when voting in person. It wasn’t until 2020 I really realized that voting wasn’t so easy for millions of people across this “democracy,” and One Person, No Vote really exposed all the horrifying and intentional acts toward suppression. Though not too long of a book overall, the chapters felt like long clumps to me and not as well organized or sectioned off as my hyperactive brain would have liked. 

It wasn’t really until the Afterword that Anderson discussed voting as it relates to indigenous people, which was a large gap to me (she focused mostly on Black voting but definitely included a good deal of information on Hispanic and Asian American voting as well). I also wished she had discussed Democrats more. It’s definitely true that the GOP primarily takes the lead on suppression, and it’s also definitely true that Democrats are not wholly innocent when it comes to gerrymandering, both of which she incorporated into this book. But it was so focused on what the GOP was doing that I was left wondering if Democrats even tried to fight these policies at all. Did they even know what was happening? How did they respond? What do the Democrats have to gain by letting suppression slide? The passivity portrayed in this book is concerning. 

While this cemented the idea that voting is treated like a privilege when it should be a right, and that this is far from a functional democracy, I was left with many questions about why and what this means, but I am very grateful for the work that went into writing this book as I was previously fairly unaware of the depth of the problem (while thinking I knew how bad voter suppression was).

Finalist for the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Longlisted for the National Book Award in Nonfiction Named one of the Best Books of the Year by: Washington Post * Boston Globe * NPR* Bustle * BookRiot * New York Public Library From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of White Rage, the startling--and timely--history of voter suppression in America, with a foreword by Senator Dick Durbin. 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. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans.

Neva Davies

Such an important book

I picked up One Person, No Vote after reading White Rage, because of how important the topic is in today's climate. One Person, No Vote is going to make you mad, but don't let that anger become inaction. Keep holding your legislators accountable. Keep voting, even if it feels like nothing is ever going to change. Keep talking to friends and family about why it's important to exercise your right to vote.

5/5 stars

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

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