Study Group: Practitioners in American Democracy

Date: 

Thursday, February 1, 2018, 4:30pm to 6:00pm

Location: 

124 Mt. Auburn St. - Suite 160S Room 105

Join Miles Rapoport, Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Ash Center, for the second session of a spring semester study group with practitioners in the field of democratic governance. Study group participants will hear from advocates, organizers, elected officials, and policy innovators, and have the opportunity to discuss the latest strategies and leading organizations promoting democratic institutions and norms. Study group sessions are open to all Harvard ID holders. Refreshments will be provided. 

Challenging Major Structural Flaws in American Elections

Rob RichieThis second study group session will feature Rob Richie, Executive Director & Co-Founder, FairVote.  FairVote has been one of the leading organizations in looking deeply and critically at fundamental structures of American democracy and proposing alternatives. They have promoted ideas such as proportional representation, ranked choice voting and instant runoffs, and the National Popular Vote to replace the current workings of the Electoral College. 

Rob Richie has been the executive director of FairVote since co-founding the organization in 1992. He has played a key role in advancing, winning, and implementing electoral reforms at the local and state levels. Rob has been involved in implementing ranked choice voting in more than a dozen cities, cumulative voting in numerous Voting Rights Act cases, the National Popular Vote plan in 11 states, and promoting voter access proposals like voter preregistration and a lower voting age.

Future Study Group Semester Meeting Schedule: