When polarization threatens to overwhelm the public square, how can we strengthen the habits, values, and trust that will sustain our democracy into the future?
Join us in exploring the crisis of democracy in the United States by reckoning with problems and considering solutions. Problems include attacks on government institutions, dysfunction in political parties, and dishonesty in media. Solutions include defending equality as well as freedom, civil dialogue, rule of law, civic engagement, inclusion, and the possibility of shared reality and justice.
Danielle Allen
2024-25 Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics
Events
3:00–4:30 p.m.
Lynn Vavreck is the Marvin Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics and Public Policy at UCLA, a contributing columnist to The Upshot at The New York Times, and a recipient of the Andrew F. Carnegie Prize in the Humanities and Social Sciences. She is the author of five books, including Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America, and The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election, described as the “definitive account” of the 2012 election. Political consultants on both sides of the aisle refer to her work on political messaging as “required reading” for presidential candidates. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and she has served on the advisory boards of both the British and American National Election Studies. At UCLA she teaches courses on campaigns, elections, public opinion, and the 1960s. Vavreck holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Rochester and held previous appointments at Princeton University, Dartmouth College, and The White House.
5:15–6:45 p.m.
Watch the livestream Featuring Sara Sadhwani, assistant professor of politics at Pomona College. Sadhwani specializes in Asian American and Latino voting behavior, elections, interest groups and representation. Her analysis of politics and elections has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, Politico, The Guardian, Vox, The Los Angeles Times, NBC News, The HuffPost and many more. In a voting rights case before the California Supreme Court, she coauthored an amicus brief that summarizes empirical research on the benefits of maximizing the voting strength of historically excluded communities.
5:30–7:00 p.m.
Election takeaways and discussion of what comes next with a panel of election experts featuring Rep. Peter DeFazio and University of Oregon professors Alison Gash, Chandler James, Regina Lawrence, Neil O’Brian and Daniel Tichenor. Sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics.
Watch the livestream If you're watching the livestream, participate by texting your question to (541) 632-4435 during the event. We may not get to all questions but will answer as many as we can.
Sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics.
Resident Scholars
Graduate Research Fellows
Project Grants
Civics Learning Project’s workshops in Southern, Central, and Eastern Oregon will give teachers tools to create safe spaces in class, so students learn to engage in constructive discourse on contentious issues.
Eugene Friends of the Farm Workers will hold an Oct. 10 event in conjunction with the Farm Worker Rights Movement exhibit at the Lane County History Museum. The event will raise awareness of and support for PCUN.
Oregon League of Women Voters Youth Council will engage their peers in voter registration drives, youth-led workshops, and a Civic Engagement Summit to encourage them to amplify their voices in our democracy.
Next Up provides on-ramps for youth to engage in local democracy: Leadership academies teach organizing skills to build collective power. Internships train students to plan and lead voter registration drives.
Rural Organizing Project and Hood River Latino Network will provide a training hub and civic engagement workshops for new citizens, rural voters, and rural youth voters.