Introduction: democracy and political voice. -- The (ambivalent) tradition of equality in America. -- The context: growing economic inequality and weakening unions. -- Equal voice and the dilemmas of democracy. -- Does unequal voice matter?. -- The persistence of unequal voice. -- Unequal at the starting line: the intergenerational persistence of political inequality. -- Political participation over the life cycle. -- Political activism and electoral democracy: perspectives on economic inequality and political polarization. -- Political voice through organized interests. -- Who sings in the heavenly chorus? the shape of the organized interest system. -- The changing pressure community. -- Beyond organizational categories. -- Political voice through organized interest activity. -- Breaking the pattern through political recruitment. -- Weapon of the strong? participatory inequality and the internet. -- What, if anything, is to be done?. -- Conclusion: equal voice and the promise of American democracy.