The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge welcomes the community to the annual Holiday Lunch With the League on Sunday, December 3, 2023 at the Doubletree Hotel, 215 S Illinois Ave., in Oak Ridge. Social Gathering starts at 12:30 p.m. EST followed by lunch and the presentation at 1:00 p.m.EST. RSVP to Janis Williams, 865-399-3799 or j.wymer.williams [at] gmail.com. The meal is $30/person and can be paid at the door by cash or check. Deadline to RSVP is Tuesday, November 28. The menu includes Herb Crusted Salmon or Rolled Roast Beef. A cash bar will be available.

Voting Rights for the Marginalized

Dr. Kirsten Widner holds a PhD in Political Science from Emory University (2020) and also JD from the University of San Diego (2007). In her law career, she represented children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and taught in the public policy and legislative advocacy clinics at Emory Law School.

Dr. Widner’s research focuses on how laws and policies that affect marginalized groups are made. She has a particular interest in the political representation of people without the right to vote – children, noncitizens, and people disenfranchised due to criminal convictions or mental incapacity. Her work has been published in political science journals and law reviews, including Political Research Quarterly, the Berkeley Journal of African-American Law and Policy, and the San Diego Law Review. Her award-winning book with Beth Reingold and Kerry L. Haynie, Race, Gender, and Political Representation, was published by Oxford University Press in 2021.

Lunch with the League welcomes League members and nonmembers alike to this informative presentation. The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge is a nonpartisan political organization for men and women. It encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.