Date: Monday, October 19, 2020 Time: 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. EDT
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Since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, voting restrictions have proliferated. As a pivotal national election approaches, voter suppression threatens to tilt the results in states across the country and drown out the rising influence of both minority and young voters.

In partnership with the Commonwealth Club of California, Brennan Center President Michael Waldman, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman, and National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law President and Executive Director Kristen Clarke will discuss the consequences of voter suppression, what everyone can do to advocate for a free and fair election, and the fight ahead.

Speakers: Alex Padilla, Secretary of State, California; Ari Berman, Senior Reporter, Mother Jones, Author, Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America; Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director, National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; MODERATOR: Michael Waldman, President, Brennan Center for Justice

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2020 Time: 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. EDT
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In her new book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart, Alicia Garza, cofounder of Black Lives Matter, recounts her experiences organizing transformative movements. She will discuss the lessons she’s learned with Lisa Coleman, NYU’s chief diversity officer and senior vice president for global inclusion and strategic innovation.

This event is produced in partnership with NYU Skirball, NYU Votes, NYUWomxn100, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the Center for Black Visual Culture and Institute for African American Affairs.

Speakers: Alicia Garza, Founder and Principal, Black Futures Lab; Cocreator, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter Global Network; Cofounder, Supermajority; Director of Strategy and Partnerships, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Host, Lady Don’t Take No; Author, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart; Lisa Coleman, Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President for Global Inclusion and Strategic Innovation, New York University

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 Time: 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. EST
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Twice in this century the Electoral College has blocked the winner of the popular vote from becoming president. Some believe this system is an essential bedrock of our republic, dividing power among the states. But abolishing the Electoral College has attracted increasing attention in recent years. This could be accomplished through a constitutional amendment or by the states alone: the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would render the Electoral College obsolete.

With the presidential election around the corner, it’s worth considering the past, present, and future of the Electoral College. Whose voices does it elevate, and whose does it diminish? To what extent did racial animus drive its creation? And how likely is it that presidential elections in the future will be decided by the popular vote?

CNN Senior Political Analyst John Avlon will explore these questions with law professor and Brennan Center Fellow Wilfred Codrington III and author and New York Times columnist Jesse Wegman. New York Times reporter and pro bono historian for Federal Hall’s Conservancy Sam Roberts and Brennan Center President Michael Waldman will introduce this program.

This is the third installment in Federal Hall’s Debate Defends Democracy series.

Speakers: Wilfred Codrington III, Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice; Assistant Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School; Author, The People’s Constitution: 200 Years, 27 Amendments, and the Promise of a More Perfect Union (forthcoming in 2021); Jesse Wegman, Member, New York Times Editorial Board; Author, Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College; MODERATOR: John Avlon, Senior Political Analyst, CNN; Author Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations