Podcast
Midterm Special: Key Races, Election Predictions and What Comes Next
On this week’s episode of the Terms of Engagement podcast, co-hosts Professor Archon Fung and Stephen Richer will discuss everything related to the midterm elections.
Additional Resource
Getting to Eighty Percent: A Symposium Advancing Voter Participation
At the core of the work of the Ash Center and the Kennedy School is the effort to understand how citizens and institutions come together to make democracy work, and rarely before has the importance of this effort been more evident. Underlying the deceptively simple idea of making democracy work are a number of large themes: protecting the fundamental norms of democracy and democratic processes from challenges both in the United States and internationally; encouraging innovation in governance and public accountability; preventing the massive inequalities of our economic system from permeating our democracy and threatening its existence.
Indeed, one essential element of “making democracy work” in the United States is to have as close to full and inclusive participation of the people who comprise our democracy as we possibly can. The name of our May 3rd symposium, “Getting to 80
percent,” was chosen with intent; while a goal of 80 percent participation is achievable, it will require a real stretch—not tinkering around the edges of the current system, but instead pursuing a major set of innovative ideas and practices.
Related Resources
Podcast
Terms of Engagement: Should Noncitizens Be Allowed to Vote in the U.S.?
This week on “Terms of Engagement,” Professor Ron Hayduk joins co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote.
Video
VIDEO—Democracy 250: The Impact of Sports on the History of Civil Rights in America
A recent event explored how sports have shaped movements for racial justice, gender equality, religious freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, disability rights, and broader inclusion in the United States.
Commentary
Field Report: How AI Is Being Used in the 2026 Midterms
Allen Lab Policy Fellow Hillary Lehr provides a late-October 2026 snapshot of the multiple ways that AI and the midterms are intersecting, including campaign use cases, policy issues, and voters’ use of LLMs.
Feature
Law Enforcement and Election Officials: Building Partnerships to Protect Elections
Amid rising threats, harassment, and political polarization, panelists at a recent Ash Center webinar discussed how law enforcement and election officials can collaborate to protect voters and election workers while safeguarding public trust.
Additional Resource