Register 43 Seats Remaining

Threats to Voting Rights

Jim Marquardt, professor of politics and international relations, Lake Forest College, discusses the recent history of voting, including recent Supreme Court decisions.

The U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to vote. Consequently, from the founding of the Republic to today, there have been assorted initiatives to both expand and restrict voting - and in some cases deny groups of people from voting.

This presentation by Jim Marquardt, professor of politics and international relations, Lake Forest College, investigates the recent history of voting. Emphasis is given to recent Supreme Court decisions that call into question the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act as well as proposed Congressional legislation, such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Save America Act.

In no other mature democracy in the world today is voting so regularly and fiercely contested - legally and otherwise - than in the United States. An amendment to the Constitution establishing the right to vote - as well as banning political gerrymandering and providing for fair representation for ethnic and racial minorities - is critical for strengthening our democracy and resurrecting the confidence of the people in their institutions of government.

Upcoming events