Disenfranchisement, Campaigns, and U.S. Election Policy
Units: 6
he 2020 election was the culmination of years of intensified debates and legal battles over voting rights, election procedures, and regulations. These events highlighted uncomfortable questions about the state and nature of U.S. elections and amplified them to a new level. Are U.S. elections fair? Who can run for office? Do all Americans have access to their right to vote? Are elections subject to external interference? Furthermore, is the system broken, and if so, how can we fix it?
This class will consider these questions and more as we work to explore U.S. elections. We will take the U.S. Constitution and federal and state laws as a baseline and consider the legal and societal factors that influence the workings of the U.S. electoral system. This course will touch on topics such as voting laws, campaign finance, disinformation, and democratic erosion. Through this process, we will confront the challenges facing the U.S. electoral system and explore pathways forward for the future of democracy in the United States.