Programs

Programs

Upcoming public events and initiatives

Who Gets to Vote?

September 27, 7:00 pm

Join panelists discussing methods of voter suppression and election integrity Wednesday, Sept 27, 7 pm, Blacksburg Municipal Building, 300 South Main Street. The public is welcome.

Voting Rights and Suppression

Changes to the Voting Rights Act in 2013 resulted in a flurry of new state laws that claim to eliminate fraud but ultimately restrict access. Voter registration issues have become hotly contested in a number of states and are the subject of several pending and recently decided court cases.

The panel will explore how stricter voter ID laws have affected voter participation overall and among various groups. We'll talk about the wave of other voter registration practices that contribute to voter suppression and public disillusionment with electoral politics. Gerrymandering has also undermined fair elections and remains an important concern in Virginia.

Join three panelists who will address these critical issues about one of our most fundamental rights as citizens. Be informed and get answers to your questions about local, state, and national voter rights issues.

Panelists

Caitlin Jewitt Photo

Caitlin Jewitt
Assistant Professor of Political Science at Virginia Tech, studies the rules of elections and their impact on voter behavior and the actions of candidates and elected officials.
 

Nicholas Goedert Photo

Nicholas Goedert
Assistant Professor of Political Science at Virginia Tech, studies congressional politics (including congressional redistricting), electoral institutions, election law, and political theory.
 
Wornie Reed Photo
Wornie Reed
Professor of Africana Studies and Sociology and Director of the Race and Social Policy Research Center at Virginia Tech. As a longtime activist, he was involved with voting rights activists in the Black Belt in Alabama in the 1980s, who were battling then U.S. Attorney and now Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
 

Charles Warren (Moderator) is the retired President of Lynchburg College.

Co-Sponsors

League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, VA
Virginia Tech Lifelong Learning Institute
NAACP, Montgomery-Radford-Floyd Branch