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Additional Resource
Resource Page — The Electoral College: What’s to be Done
The Electoral College is viewed as a democratic anachronism in modern-day America, yet it has persisted for over two centuries despite repeated attempts to reform or abolish the institution. To build off of an Ash Center symposium hosted in April 2024, our scholars and researchers continue to seek answers to some of the biggest questions surrounding why the Electoral College has remained impervious to change for so long and what are the prospects for reform. Below, we invite you to explore several resources geared toward resolving these enduring debates.
Opening academic panel
Jamie Raskin on the Future of the Electoral College
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Moving beyond the Electoral College
It’s an accident waiting to happen every four years. I mean, Jefferson himself called it an ink blot on the Constitution. And so, it’s always been recognized that it’s dangerous and dangerously unstable.![]()
Congressman Jamie Raskin
Speaking at the Ash Center Electoral College symposium
Book Talk
Book
Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?
Podcast
Podcast
Democracy Paradox: Alexander Keyssar on Why We Still Have the Electoral College
Related Resources
Podcast
Terms of Engagement – Should Noncitizens Be Allowed to Vote in the U.S.?
On this week of 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.
Podcast
Terms of Engagement: Should Election Officials Be Elected?
On this week’s episode of “Terms of Engagement,” Assistant Professor Joshua Ferrer joins co-hosts Archon Fung and Stephen Richer to discuss his research and explore whether election officials should be elected or appointed.
Additional Resource
From Questions to Evidence
On campus last week, Allen Lab Fellow Joshua Darr shared his recent report, From Questions to Evidence, with Allen Lab members and Harvard’s Nieman Lab (A new report argues newsrooms need to do more experiments — like, the kind with randomization and results). Darr is the director of the Local NExT Lab at Syracuse University.
Commentary
Allen Lab Fellow Spotlight: City Charters Are Deliberative Democracy’s Friends
Allen Lab Fellow Tyler Fisher examines the untapped potential of city charters as a vehicle for deliberative democracy, arguing that advocates should work to embed tools like citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting, and town meetings directly into the governing architecture of cities, institutionalizing deliberative democracy one municipality at a time.
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Terms of Engagement Summer Reading List
Books, reports, and articles exploring the front lines of American politics and democracy, as featured on the Terms of Engagement podcast.