Opening Keynote Discussion (Thursday)

When:Thursday, November 30, 2017, 3:30 – 5:30P
Where: The Moritz College of Law, Saxbe Hall Auditorium, Drinko Hall, 55 W 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210

The symposium will open with a university-wide, public forum featuring a highly interactive discussion with Ari Berman, senior reporter for Mother Jones and author of Give Us the Ballot, The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America; Anna Sampaio, chair of Ethnic Studies Santa Clara University and author of Terrorizing Latina/o Immigrants: Race, Gender, and Immigration Politics in the Age of Security; Dan Tokaji, Professor of Constitutional Law at  Moritz College of Law which will be moderated by Wendy Smooth, Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies. We will follow the discussion with a book signing.

The speakers will discuss the unique features of the new American electorate including tracing the historical developments which paved the way for these voters to play such pivotal roles in recent presidential elections. As well, the panelists will discuss recent attempts to curtail the expanding electorate including the rise in voter identification laws; enacting limitations on early voting; and other restrictive voting measures which many argue are designed to thwart this substantial growth in voter power. The speakers will also reflect on the impact of the significantly curtailed Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how these structural changes are impacting voter access and what protections are needed to ensure the expanding electorate’s political voice.

Ari Berman

Anna Sampaio

Dan Tokaji

Wendy Smooth

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