Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2020 Time: 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. EDT
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Throughout American history, ballot design and election administration have been contested ground.

Confusing ballot layouts and instructions harm all voters, but low-income voters, new voters, and elderly voters most of all. All too often, the loss of votes and rates of errors caused by poor design exceed candidates’ margins of victory, casting doubt on whether election outcomes always reflect voters’ intentions. What do these ballot defects look like? And how can election officials remedy them?

Please join us for a virtual panel discussion addressing these questions. Brennan Center election experts will discuss sound ballot design principles and how better processes for creating and testing ballots can prevent lost or erroneous votes. They will be joined by Alicia Yin Cheng, graphic designer and author of This Is What Democracy Looked Like: A Visual History of the Printed Ballot. Cheng’s book is the first illustrated history of printed ballot design, and it illuminates the paramount but often flawed process at the heart of our democracy.

This event is produced in partnership with New York University’s John Brademas Center.

Speakers: Larry Norden, Director, Election Reform, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; Victoria Bassetti, Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice; Alicia Yin Cheng, Graphic Designer and Author, This Is What Democracy Looked Like: A Visual History of the Printed Ballot; Moderator: Ilya Marritz, WNYC Senior Reporter; Co-Host of Trump, Inc.

Date: Thursday, August 13, 2020 Time: 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. EDT
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Criminal disenfranchisement laws strip voting rights from people with past convictions, excluding millions of Americans from participating in our democratic process. Even worse, these laws have a disproportionate impact on communities of color due to the pervasive racial bias in our criminal justice system, resulting in reduced political power and the underrepresentation of their interests in public policy. Given these policies’ roots in historical efforts to prevent Black citizens from voting, this impact is not surprising.

In this virtual event, the Brennan Center brings together advocates from California, Florida, Iowa, and Kentucky for a conversation about the recent developments around rights restoration in their respective states. They’ll discuss why it’s important that these efforts are led by advocates who have experienced the scourge of disenfranchisement, the connection between disenfranchisement and the protests around the country over police violence and systemic racism, and the future of the movement nationwide.

This event is produced in partnership with New York University’s John Brademas Center.

Speakers: Tayna Fogle, Democracy Fellow, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth; Jhody Polk, Founder and Director, Legal Empowerment & Advocacy Hub (L.E.A.H), Director of Community Justice, River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, 2018 Soros Justice Fellow; Taina Vargas-Edmond, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Initiate Justice; Daniel Zeno, Policy and Advocacy Director, ACLU of Iowa; Moderator: Sean Morales-Doyle, Deputy Director, Voting Rights & Elections, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice

Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020 Time: 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m. MDT,
6:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. PDT, 9:00 p.m.– 10:30 p.m.EDT
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For three decades, Montana has been represented by a single seat in the House of Representatives. But this could soon change: population projections suggest that the state may gain a second seat after the 2020 Census is completed. Montana is one of the few states with a redistricting commission. This bipartisan commission, which draws state legislative maps once a decade, would also be charged with the task of dividing the state into two congressional districts.

What impact could this have on the future of Montana and its residents? How might the state be fairly divided into two districts? How effectively have Montana’s redistricting commissions accomplished this task and the drawing of legislative districts in the past? And what can we learn from redistricting controversies in other states?

Join redistricting expert Peter Miller — who grew up in Billings, Montana — as he explores these questions in a virtual presentation. Following the presentation, members of Montana’s 2020 Districting and Apportionment Commission will join Miller to answer questions submitted by attendees.

This event is produced in partnership with the League of Women Voters Montana.

Speakers: Peter Miller, PhD, Researcher, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; Members of Montana's Districting and Apportionment Commission; Moderator: Nancy Leifer, President, League of Women Voters Montana