VIRTUAL Book talk with Richard Hasen, author of "Election Meltdown"

Date: 

Wednesday, March 25, 2020, 12:00pm to 1:15pm

Location: 

Zoom meeting, https://harvard.zoom.us/j/765369862

The Ash Center invites you to a virtual book talk with with Richard Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine -- and author of "Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy." Ash Center Democracy Fellow Tova Wang will moderate. 

Written before the current coronavirus pandemic, Election Meltdown, has taken on an even deeper meaning. Hasen will talk about the major new challenges the virus is creating for the elections of 2020 and what election officials can do, all on top of the significant issues revealed in the 2016 and 2018 elections. These include efforts at voter suppression, incompetence in administration, and of course the vulnerability of US election systems to foreign interventions of misinformation and cyberattacks. All of these affect the critical issue of Americans having trust in our democratic system, and Hasen has a wide and deep knowledge to bring to this discussion.

How to Join the Virtual Event   

Via Computer

Please join the Zoom meeting using the following link: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/765369862

You do not have to have a Zoom account or pay for Zoom to attend a Zoom meeting or interview. If you have not previously used Zoom, you will be prompted to download the software once you have clicked on the link above. You may also wish to create an account, but that is not required to participate in a Zoom meeting.

If for any reason you cannot download the Zoom software, there is an option to join from your browser. This option will be presented when you first click the link and will read, "If you cannot download or run the application, join from your browser." Please note: Zoom works best within the Google Chrome browser. 

Via Phone 

Join by telephone (use either number to dial in)
        +1 929 436 2866
        +1 669 900 6833
 
International numbers available: https://harvard.zoom.us/u/acCmjrIMHS

About the Book         

As the 2020 presidential campaign begins to take shape, there is widespread distrust of the fairness and accuracy of American elections. In this timely and accessible book, Richard L. Hasen uses riveting stories illustrating four factors increasing the mistrust. Voter suppression has escalated as a Republican tool aimed to depress turnout of likely Democratic voters, fueling suspicion. Pockets of incompetence in election administration, often in large cities controlled by Democrats, have created an opening to claims of unfairness. Old-fashioned and new-fangled dirty tricks, including foreign and domestic misinformation campaigns via social media, threaten electoral integrity. Inflammatory rhetoric about “stolen” elections supercharges distrust among hardcore partisans.
 
Taking into account how each of these threats has manifested in recent years—most notably in the 2016 and 2018 elections—Hasen offers concrete steps that need to be taken to restore trust in American elections before the democratic process is completely undermined.

About the Author    

Richard L. Hasen is Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. In 2013 he was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal, and his previous books include Voting Wars, Plutocrats United, and The Justice of Contradictions. He lives in Studio City, CA.