Her research lies at the intersection of race and ethnic politics, representation, and discrimination. She examines how racial minorities fare under American democracy and how their treatment in American politics and under the law has shifted over time. A large portion of her work empirically assesses how these communities fare under disenfranchising laws, whether they be voter identification laws, felon disenfranchisement laws or state electoral laws. She also conducts research on race and policing and evaluates how representation of minorities on police forces effects outcomes across a variety of measures, including fewer excessive force complaints filed and fewer fatal encounters with law enforcement.