Democracy Forum

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We’ll talk about the political philosophy and history of public education in America. What is the role of public education in sustaining our fragile republic? How did public education develop and evolve over time? What has been or should be the role of public education in creating a shared civic enterprise? Guests: Doris Santor, Professor of Education at Bowdoin College. Jonathan Zimmerman, Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor in Education at the Univeristy of Pennsylvania To learn more about this topic: Will US Education Remedy A Half-Century Of Neglecting Civics Education?, Tom Lindsay, Forbes, February 2020 The need for civic education in 21st-century schools, Rebecca Winthrop, Brookings, June 2020 History and Evolution of Public Education in the US, Center on Education Policy, The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development, 2020 Have We Lost Faith in Public Education? | Perspectives on History | AHA Johan

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Religion: Politics and Religion in America -What is the constitutional foundation of the separation of church and state? -Why is it important? -Is freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights? How did the doctrine emerge and develop from the prohibition on the establishment of religion? -How is the interpretation and practice affecting modern politics? -What is the intersection of political activism and religious groups, now and in our history? Guests: Mark Brewer, Professor of Political Science and Department Chair, University of Maine Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Associate Professor of Religion & Public Life, Department of Political Science, Concurrent Associate Professor of Law, Notre Dame University To learn more about this topic: Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, James Madison, presented to the Virginia General Assembly in 1785 In U.S., Far More Support Than Oppose Separation of Church and S

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We talk about trust and distrust in government. What is the history of distrust in government in the US? How has it been weaponized in the last half-century? What do we lose when we have a blanket distrust in government: who loses and who gains? What motivates strategic attempts to weaken government? In what way is distrust a weapon in the arsenal of attempts to weaken or reduce government? Guests: Amy Fried, John Mitchell Nickerson Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine Steven Webster, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Indiana University To learn more about this topic: How Republicans Stoke Anti-Government Hatred by Luisa S. Deprez in Washington Monthly, August 27, 2021 Covid vaccine resistance and the Capitol riot stem from the GOP long weaponizing distrust, by Noah Berlatsky in NBC New Think, Aug. 3, 2021 Are Liberals to Blame for Our Crisis of Faith in Government? by Louis Menand, August 9, 2021 in The New Yorker At War with Go

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We’ll talk about the history and the future of the two major parties, How parties change and evolve, how/why they splinter. Are the parties too strong or too weak? Are the two major parties in this moment so polarized that the system itself is undermined? Has the modern two-party system made us ungovernable? What reforms and options might be realistic? — multi-member districts, proportional representation, ranked choice voting? Guest: Lee Drutman, senior fellow at New America. He is the author of Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America Sandy Maisel, Goldfarb Family Distinguished Professor of American Government at Colby College (emeritus) To learn more about this topic: “Quiz: If America Had Six Parties, Which Would You Belong To?” by Lee Drutman in the New York Times, September 8, 2021 “Have Democrats become a party of the left?” William A. Galston and Elaine Kamarck, for Brookings, July, 2021 “Th

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Protest: Good Citizenship at Work? We talk about whether protests are a legitimate, if not necessary, form of civic participation. Are protests good citizenship or are they civil disorder? Is protesting effective in changing public policy? Are nonviolent actions more effective than those that involve violence? When do protest movements succeed? Guests: Douglas Allen, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Maine Erica Chenoweth, Frank Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at the Harvard Kennedy SchooL and a Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study To learn more about this topic: “What Anti-Protest Bills Reveal About The State Of U.S. Democracy,” OnPoint, WBUR, April, 2021 Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know, Erica Chenoweth, March, 2021 “The Myth of the Silent Majority: Americans have learned the wrong lessons about the political consequences of protest,” Daniel G

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We talk about the historical and contemporary link between labor organizing and expanding political rights like voting. -Is union organizing an important, if not essential, tool in building a vibrant democracy? -Has the diminution of labor unions contributed to the politics of resentment? -Has it provided fertile ground for the current moment of populist anger and stridently divided politics? -What led to the demise of unions over the last half century? -How could they come back? Guests: David Madland, resident senior fellow and senior adviser to the American Worker Project at the Center for American Progress. Cynthia Phinney, President of the Maine AFL-CIO. She was the first woman elected to that position in 2015. To learn more about this topic: Re-Union: How Bold Labor Reforms Can Repair, Revitalize, and Reunite the United States, David Madland, May, 2021 In 2020, the number of unionized workers dropped, while the share of union members increased, USAFacts,

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Key Discussion Points: Whether this is one of the most divided moments in American history. How have these fractured moments come up in our prior history? What role is the emergence of multiracial democracy playing in this current divisive moment? What role has race played in the divisions of the past? Can a polity come back from such serious fragmentation? How have we gotten past it before, or have we? Guests: David Blight, Sterling Professor of History, of African American Studies, and of American Studies at Yale University, and the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, among many other books and articles. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Sociology and African-American Studies at Colby College. She is also an ordained Baptist minister and the assistant pastor for special projects at the Union Baptist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. To learn more about this topic: “Three Great Revol

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Participatory Democracy: Is that for real? Conspiracy Theories in American Politics We’ll talk about the political and social conditions that give rise to conspiracy movements. Why are people drawn to these ideas? What are the conditions in civil society that are feeding into these trends? How have these moments come up in our history? How have we gotten past it before? Can democracy function when these beliefs are widespread? Guests: Jamie McKown, James Russell Wiggins Chair in Government and Polity at College of the Atlantic Joanne Miller, Associate Professor, Political Science & International Relations, Director of Graduate Studies, University of Delaware To learn more about this topic: Speaking of Psychology: Why people believe in conspiracy theories, with Karen Douglas, PhD, podcast of the American Psychological Association Gender Differences in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory Beliefs, Erin C. Cassese, Christina E. Farhart, and Joanne M. Miller. 2020 A Lo

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine -Our information ecosystem and how it’s contributed to this very divisive moment in American politics: -How did it go wrong, can we fix it? -What role do mis- and dis-information, social media, media silos, and alternative realities play in fostering extremism? -How are these issues playing out right here in real-world Maine? -What remedies are suggested by research? Guests: Ronald Deibert, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, Director of The Citizen LabMunk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, and author of the new book, Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society Andy O’Brien, freelance journalist where he has been reporting on far-right groups in Maine for the magazine, Mainer. He is also a former Maine state legislator, former managing editor of the Free Press in Rockland To learn more about this topic: Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society, Ronald Deibert, 2020 By Andy O’Brien from Mainer

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We’ll talk about the political divide in the aftermath of the 2020 general election. Do we share any common ground? What happened at “America in One Room” in 2019? And what does it mean for American in 2021. What lessons can we learn about American democracy and its future? Guests: Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution James Fishkin, Janet M Peck Chair of International Communication at Stanford University, and Director of the Center for Deliberative Democracy. Steve Wessler, Maine human rights educator, trainer, and advocate specializing in conflict resolution To learn more about this topic: These 526 Voters Represent All of America. And They Spent a Weekend Together, New York Times, October, 2019 America in One Room Our Common Purpose “Pulling Our Politics Back from the Brink,” The New Yorker, November, 2020 “?You’re Wrong A

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Participatory Democracy: Election Reflections 2020 We will talk about the November 3 general election What just happened here in Maine and around the country What went right, what went wrong What it says about the future of our democracy Guests b: Shelly Crosby, Orono Town Clerk and president of the Maine Town and City Clerks Association Matthew Dunlap, Maine Secretary of State Amy Fried, John Mitchell Nickerson Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Maine Jill Goldthwait, Columnist and former independent Maine State Senator Meg McCormick, Maine Director & New England Coordinator, Campus Election Engagement To learn more about this topic: Half of Americans Don’t Vote. What Are They Thinking? Colin Woodard in Politico, February 2020 College Students, Voting and the COVID-19 Election, Knight Foundation, August 2020 The 100 Million Project: The Untold Story of American Non-Voters, Knight Foundation Polarization and th

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Research into voter motivation; How new information can affect the way people form political opinions, make political choices and, ultimately, take political actions; How research into voter motivation might be relevant in the 2020 General Election. Guests: Yanna Krupnikov, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University Meg McCormick, Maine Director & New England Coordinator, Campus Election Engagement Shelly Crosby, Orono Town Clerk and president of the Maine Town and City Clerks Association. To learn more about this topic: Half of Americans Don’t Vote. What Are They Thinking? Colin Woodard in Politico, February 2020 College Students, Voting and the COVID-19 Election, Knight Foundation, August 2020 The 100 Million Project: The Untold Story of American Non-Voters, Knight Foundation Maine watchdog may probe shadowy poll aimed at Democratic legislative hopeful, Bangor Daily News, September 2020 Opinion | Is America

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Who Votes, Who Can’t, and Who Won’t? We talk about voter participation in marginalized communities Structural/ systemic/ institutional barriers to voting, and motivational barriers to voting. Guests: Maulian Dana, Penobscot Nation Ambassador Michael Kebede, Policy Counsel, ACLU of Maine Chryl Laird, Assistant Professor of Government at Bowdoin College To learn more about this topic: How Shelby County v. Holder Broke America, Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, July 2018 America’s Relentless Suppression of Black Voters, Lawrence Goldstone, The New Republic, October 2018. Young Black Americans not sold on Biden, the Democrats or voting, David C. Barker and Sam Fulwood III, The Conversation, August 2020 Systematic Inequality and American Democracy, Danyelle Solomon, Connor Maxwell, and Abril Castro, Center for American Progress, August 2019 Why So Many Black Voters Are Democrats, Even When They Aren’t Liberal, Cheryl N. Laird, Ismail K. White, FiveThirtyEight

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine NOTE: This is a rebroadcast of a program that originally aired on 11/15/2019 We’ll talk about new political science research into policy feedback effects How public policy design affects people’s sense of themselves as citizens and their propensity to participate. What this means for legislators and advocates Guests: Amy Fried, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Maine Don Moynihan, McCourt Chair at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University To learn more about this topic: Administrative Burden: Policymaking by Other Means, Pamela Herd and Donald P. Moynihan, December 2018 “Citizens feel disconnected from government. If they knew what government did for them, they wouldn’t.” Interview with Susan Mettler, Washington Post, November 2018 Reforms at Risk: What Happens After Major Policy Changes Are Enacted , Eric M. Patashnik, 2009 Citizens By Degree: Higher Education Policy and the Changing

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Who won the Maine primaries and why. How did Maine elections work under COVID restrictions? What does it all mean for the high-stakes election in November? Guests: Matthew Dunlap, Maine Secretary of State b) Amy Fried, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Mainec) Jill Goldthwait, Columnist and former independent Maine State Senator To learn more about this topic: As November Looms, So Does the Most Litigious Election Ever, New York Times, July 7, 2020 Election results not expected to be delayed in Maine despite virus changes, Bangor Daily News, July 8, 2020 Poll gives Dale Crafts edge in GOP primary in Maine’s 2nd District, Bangor Daily News, July 8, 2020 Clerks report record absentee ballots for July 14 election, Portland Press Herald, July 2, 2020 What Went Wrong in the Wisconsin Election, and What We Can Learn From It Before November, Time, April 2020 After record primary turnout, Iowa Senate Republicans try to lim

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine The Electoral College, is it working as intended—and by the way, what was intended?— What issues have emerged over time, is Popular Election of the President a solution, and where does the National Popular Vote Compact fit in? Guests: Saul Azunis, Saul Anuzis is principal and managing partner of Coast to Coast Strategies. Mark Brewer, Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine. Eileen Reavey, national grassroots director at National Popular Vote To learn more about this topic: “National Popular Vote: Bipartisan Reform to Presidential Elections,” Patrick Rosenstiel and Scott Drexel in RealClear Politics, January 2020. “Want to Fix Presidential Elections? Here’s the Quickest Way,” Tim Foley, Politico, May, 2019 “Steve Vladeck: Is democracy rigged? The debate over Senate representation ignores a much more plausible reform,” NBC News, October, 2018 “Don’t Believe the Myths about the National Popular Vote”, Saul Anuzis, The Hi

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We will talk about ranked choice voting (RCV) in the upcoming July and November elections in Maine RCV developments in other states The possible effect of a people’s veto and a pending law suit, and more. Guests: John Brautigam, senior advisor and counsel to the League of Women Voters of Maine. www.lwvme.org/who Marc Roberts, Republican Representative in the Utah State Legislature www.robertsmarc.com/ To learn more about this topic: Maine Republicans seek to repeal ranked-choice voting in presidential elections. Portland Press Herald, February 4, 2020 Maine Voices: Ranked-choice presidential primaries would give boost to moderates, Sandy Maisel Op-ed in the Portland Press Herald, March 3, 2020 Portland voters approve expansion of ranked-choice voting, Bangor Daily News, March 3, 2020 Ranked-choice voting backers file suit seeking to block Maine GOP people’s veto effort Bangor Daily News, April 16, 2020 Pre-recorded on 5/13/2020 using Zoom technology. The

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Prerecorded April 15, 2020 using ZOOM meeting technology hosted by LWVME We will talk about how the continuing COVID-19 emergency might change voting procedures in Maine’s upcoming primary election What steps are being taken to protect the election, election workers, and the voting public. What voters can do now to prepare Guests: Alison Beyea, Executive Director, ACLU Maine Matthew Dunlap, Maine Secretary of State To learn more about this topic: Our View: COVID-19 will change Maine Election Day traditions, Portland Press Herald editorial, April 5, 2020. A Primary? In a Pandemic?, The Atlantic, March, 2020 Voting in the time of the coronavirus, Sue Halperin, The New Yorker, March, 2020 ‘It’s Madness.’ Wisconsin’s Election Amid Coronavirus Sparks Anger, NPR, April, 2020 “The Lessons of the Election of 1918,” New York Times, March, 2020 The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordina

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne -How is the presidential primary going to work, -How will delegates to national conventions be apportioned and selected, -What role will municipal caucuses continue to play, -What will be the differences among the parties. Guests: Kenneth Palmer, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Maine Lisa Roberts, Executive Director of the Maine Democratic Party Richard Rosen,, former Republican State Legislator and former Commissioner of the Maine State Department of Administrative and Financial Services To learn more about this topic: “The Primary Versus the Caucus,” PBS Newshour, 2003 “Primaries v caucuses: a handy primer,” Harry J Enten in The Guardian, 2012. League of Women Voters of Maine, “Study Guide on Primary Elections,” 2018. “Maine switched to a presidential primary in 2020. Here’s why parties are still caucusing,” Bangor Daily News, February 9, 2020. “The U.S. P

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne We talk about the upcoming decennial census How it’s going to work Problems on the horizon The consequences for Maine and the nation. Guests: Margo Anderson, Distinguished Professor Emerits of History and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, author of the book, The American Census: A Social History Matt Dunlap, Maine’s 49th Secretary of State, now serving his fourth consecutive term and seventh term overall. He also Chairs of the State’s Complete Count Committee. To learn more about this topic: “ The American Census: A Social History“, by Margo J. Anderson 2015. “The 2020 Census may be wildly inaccurate–and it matters more than you think,” Robert Shapiro for the Brookings Institution, August, 2017 “Special Report: 2020 U.S. census plagued by hacking threats, cost overruns,” Nick Brown for Reuters, December, 2019 The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Vote