"Examining a range of controversial public policies in the American states, Daniel Lewis' exceptionally accessible book takes on the thorny question of whether ballot measures undermine the rights of minorities. His empirical findings, which should be of interest scholars and practitioners alike, suggest that when rights are contingent on majority preferences, minorities are indeed at risk."
--Daniel A. Smith, University of Florida

"This study makes a careful and multi-faceted empirical investigation into the important question of whether direct democracy threatens the rights of political minorities. Focusing on some of the most significant minority-rights issues of the day, Lewis uncovers a complex dynamic in which political institutions and public opinion interact to shape how states choose to protect (and not protect) their political minorities. This study provides the most nuanced understanding to date of this timely political issue."

--Elisabeth Gerber, University of Michigan

"Lewis' analysis is careful, nuanced, and compelling. He presents the strongest evidence to date that the citizen initiative undermines representative democracy and endangers the rights of political minorities."

--Justin Phillips, Columbia University