Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
Taubman Center

Making Every Vote Count: The Future of Voting Rights and Election Administration Reform in American Democracy

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Watch on Watson's YouTube Channel.

The 2020 election and its aftershocks revealed troubling truths about the state of American democracy. While election officials and courts performed their duties with integrity, the Capitol Hill insurrection was a breach of American’s tradition of peaceful transfers of governing power. Millions of Americans were receptive to baseless claims of “stolen” elections. Some states are responding to unsubstantiated allegations of “voter fraud” by imposing new barriers to ballot access. These barriers will place disproportionate burdens on racial minorities, younger voters, and other groups.

How can we ensure that every eligible citizen has an equal opportunity to cast a valid, equally weighted vote? What reforms are needed to restore trust in American elections in an era of polarization? This panel brings together leading experts on election administration and civil rights to consider these urgent questions.

This event will feature:

Bruce Cain (Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and Director of the Bill Lane Center for the American West)

Janai Nelson (Associate Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.)

Charles Stewart (Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science at MIT)

It will be moderated by Professor Eric Patashnik.