Disempowering Voters and Denying Democracy: The Case Against the Electoral College

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Please join the League of Women Voters of the South Bend Area and Dr. Elizabeth Bennion for our October Lunch with League!

In this presentation, Professor Bennion explores each of the major arguments proponents make in support of the Electoral College, and concludes that none of the arguments withstand scrutiny; such arguments fail on both empirical and philosophical grounds. Consistent with a League of Women Voters position statement written half-a-century ago, Bennion concludes that the United States should abolish the Electoral College, an institution that denies Americans an equal voice in selecting the president, disempowers voters, and undermines political equality.

SPEAKER BIO:
Elizabeth Bennion is a professor of political science at Indiana University South Bend, where she teaches courses in American politics, including courses on campaigns and elections, gender politics, and political controversies. Her research includes large-scale voter registration and mobilization field experiments in which randomized assignments are used to test the effectiveness of different mobilization techniques.

She is the founding director of IU South Bend's American Democracy Project, president of the Indiana Debate Commission, and host of "Politically Speaking," a weekly TV program on WNIT Public Television. Bennion also serves as director of Voter Services and Education for the League of Women Voters of the South Bend Area. In these capacities she hosts and moderates political discussions, public issue forums, and candidate debates for local, state and national political races.

A nationally recognized expert on civic education and political engagement, Bennion has won numerous local, state and national awards for her teaching and service and has published widely in academic books, journals and professional newsletters.

Bennion is co-editor of two books on teaching civic engagement: "Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen" (2013) and "Teaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines" (2017). She is currently working on several research projects, including a third book titled "Teaching Civic Engagement Globally."