Democracy Forum

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Prerecorded April 15, 2020 using ZOOM meeting technology hosted by LWVME We will talk about how the continuing COVID-19 emergency might change voting procedures in Maine’s upcoming primary election What steps are being taken to protect the election, election workers, and the voting public. What voters can do now to prepare Guests: Alison Beyea, Executive Director, ACLU Maine Matthew Dunlap, Maine Secretary of State To learn more about this topic: Our View: COVID-19 will change Maine Election Day traditions, Portland Press Herald editorial, April 5, 2020. A Primary? In a Pandemic?, The Atlantic, March, 2020 Voting in the time of the coronavirus, Sue Halperin, The New Yorker, March, 2020 ‘It’s Madness.’ Wisconsin’s Election Amid Coronavirus Sparks Anger, NPR, April, 2020 “The Lessons of the Election of 1918,” New York Times, March, 2020 The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordina

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne -How is the presidential primary going to work, -How will delegates to national conventions be apportioned and selected, -What role will municipal caucuses continue to play, -What will be the differences among the parties. Guests: Kenneth Palmer, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Maine Lisa Roberts, Executive Director of the Maine Democratic Party Richard Rosen,, former Republican State Legislator and former Commissioner of the Maine State Department of Administrative and Financial Services To learn more about this topic: “The Primary Versus the Caucus,” PBS Newshour, 2003 “Primaries v caucuses: a handy primer,” Harry J Enten in The Guardian, 2012. League of Women Voters of Maine, “Study Guide on Primary Elections,” 2018. “Maine switched to a presidential primary in 2020. Here’s why parties are still caucusing,” Bangor Daily News, February 9, 2020. “The U.S. P

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne We talk about the upcoming decennial census How it’s going to work Problems on the horizon The consequences for Maine and the nation. Guests: Margo Anderson, Distinguished Professor Emerits of History and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, author of the book, The American Census: A Social History Matt Dunlap, Maine’s 49th Secretary of State, now serving his fourth consecutive term and seventh term overall. He also Chairs of the State’s Complete Count Committee. To learn more about this topic: “ The American Census: A Social History“, by Margo J. Anderson 2015. “The 2020 Census may be wildly inaccurate–and it matters more than you think,” Robert Shapiro for the Brookings Institution, August, 2017 “Special Report: 2020 U.S. census plagued by hacking threats, cost overruns,” Nick Brown for Reuters, December, 2019 The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Vote

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: We’ll talk about new political science research into policy feedback effects How public policy design affects people’s sense of themselves as citizens and their propensity to participate. What this means for legislators and advocates Guests: Amy Fried, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Maine. umaine.edu/polisci/faculty-and-staff/amy-fried/ Don Moynihan, McCourt Chair at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/0033600001i3sNRAAY/donald-moynihan To learn more about this topic: Administrative Burden: Policymaking by Other Means, Pamela Herd and Donald P. Moynihan, December 2018 “Citizens feel disconnected from government. If they knew what government did for them, they wouldn’t.” Interview with Susan Mettler, Washington Post, November 2018 Reforms at Risk: What Happens After Major Policy Changes Are Enac

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: Hate and Fear in Politics: How fear and anger endanger democracy Key Discussion Points: We talk about hate and fear in politics and whether they undermine democracy: How panic and fear make space for abandoning the rule of law and the regular order; How when we demonize the opposition, it makes room for extraordinary measures to stop them. Guests: Joanne Freeman, Professor of history and American studies at Yale University history.yale.edu/people/joanne-freeman Steve Wessler, Maine human rights educator, trainer, and advocate specializing in conflict resolution www.stevewessler.com/ To learn more about this topic: “Trump and the Politics of Fear,” Molly Ball in The Atlantic, September, 2016. “America Descends into the Politics of Rage,” Joanne Freeman in The Atlantic, October, 2018. “The Upside of Anger,” Isaac Chotiner interviews Martha C. Nussbaum for Slate, August, 2018 The all-voluntee

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne We talk about the lies in politics and the politics of lying, Historical examples, and current practice. How is the present moment in American politics different from others in our history? Or is it? What are the consequences for democracy? Guests: Dallas G. Denery II, Professor of History at Bowdoin College. www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/ddenery/index.html Nancy L. Rosenblum, the Harvard University Senator Joseph Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government emerita scholar.harvard.edu/nrosenblum/home To learn more about this topic: “How the Science of “Blue Lies” May Explain Trump’s Support,” guest blog at the Scientific American by Jeremy Adam Smith, March 2017. “Trump’s lies corrode democracy,” James Pfiffner for Brookings, April 2018. “A Behavioral Science Solution to Lies in Politics,” blogpost at Psychology Today by Gleb Tsipursky, June 2017. “Conspiracy Without the Theory,”

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne This month, back by popular demand, we’ll talk more about practicing politics and democracy at the most personal level, in local government. What are the characteristics of the towns that have the most civic participation? How can community members help create a culture of inclusion and civic engagement in their own towns? What can go right; and what can go wrong? Guests: Susan Clark, is coauthor of Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home. She serves as Town Moderator of Middlesex, Vermont. Dick Thompson, an experienced moderator for the Towns of Palermo, China, Vassalboro, and others, Dick conducts moderator training for the Maine Municipal Association. To learn more about this topic: Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home, Susan Clark and Woden Teachout, 2012. Citizen’s Guide to Town Meeting, Maine Municipal Association. For the People, by the People: Wh

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne We talk about practicing politics and democracy at the most personal level, in local government, and the unusual experience we enjoy in the form of the New England town meeting. Does the town meeting still work? Is participation up or down? Is partisanship creeping in? Is money “from away” taking more of an interest? If you’ve never been, what do you need to know? Guests: Susan Clark, is coauthor of Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home. She serves as Town Moderator of Middlesex, Vermont. Susan Lessard, Town Manager for Bucksport. She’s worked town government in Maine for over twenty years in a diverse array of communities, some with and some without a town meeting form of government. Dick Thompson, an experienced moderator for the Towns of Palermo, China, Vassalboro, and others, Dick conducts moderator training for the Maine Municipal Association. To learn more about this topic

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne What do those words mean: republic and democracy? What do people mean when they say, “We’re not a democracy; we’re a republic,” in the context of different policy debates. Is there a particular subtext implicating minority rights, even minority rule, and possibly states’ rights and federalism? Guests : Lance Dutson, a Republican communications consultant and a columnist for the Bangor Daily News. lancedutson.bangordailynews.com/about/ Joseph Reisert, Associate Professor of American Constitutional Law at Colby College www.colby.edu/directory/profile/jrreiser/  To learn more about this topic: Democracy or Republic?, Jay Cost in Nationa Review September, 2018. Sorry, Liberals, But America Is Not A Democracy, And It’s Better That Way,, Clifford Humphrey in The Federalist February, 2018. Is the U.S. a Democracy? A Social Studies Battle Turns on the Nation’s Values Dana Goldstein in The New York Tim

Citizen Initiatives: The Devil’s in the Details Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine, www.lwvme.org Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: the historical origins of the initiative provisions, how initiatives actually work in Maine, our contemporary experience with them, their effect on politics and elections, the tension between direct and representative democracy, and proposals for reform, many of which are being debated in the Maine State Legislature right now. Guests: Joshua Dyck, Associate Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Center for Public Opinion at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. www.uml.edu/fahss/political-science/faculty/dyck-joshua.aspx Michael Franz, Professor of Government and Legal Studies at Bowdoin College and co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project. mikemfranz.com/ To learn more about this topic: – Initiatives without Engagement A Realistic Appraisal of Direct Democracy’s Secondary Effects, Joshua J. Dyck and Edward L. Lascher, Jr., 2

The Electoral College: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: The electoral college. its historical origins and the founders’ intent, The practical implications for modern American politics, Proposals for reform, including the National Popular Vote (NPV). Guests: Mark Brewer, Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine Jamie Raskin, Professor Law at American University Washington College of Law and U.S. Congressman representing Maryland’s 8th District Patrick Rosenstiel, CEO of Ainsley Shea, a Minneapolis-based public relations firm working to advance the National Popular Vote. To learn more, follow these links to related content: As American as Apple Pie? The Rural Vote’s Disproportionate Slice of Power Emily Badger in The New York Times, November, 2016. The real reason we have an Electoral College: to protect slave states Sean Illing interviews Akhil Reed Amar in Vox, November, 2016. The El

The Free Press and a Functioning Democracy Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne We talk about democracy, journalism, the state of play in American news. Can fact-based journalism survive? Can democracy survive otherwise? Guests: Earl Brechlin, Earl was the founding editor of the Mount Desert Islander. friendsofacadia.org/news/friends-acadia-welcomes-earl-brechlin-communications-director/ Burt Neuborne, Burt Neuborne is the Norman Dorsen Professor of Civil Liberties and founding Legal Director of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School. He is the author of the book, Madison’s Music, that explores a deep reading of the First Amendment. its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.biography&personid=20165 Judy Woodruff, Judy Woodruff is the anchor and managing editor of the PBS Newshour. www.pbs.org/newshour/about/judy-woodruff To learn more about this topic: More Important But Less Robust? Five Things Everybody Needs to Know about the Future

Cyber Attacks on Democracy: Social Media, Fake News, and Voter Responsibility Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: We’ll talk about cyber attacks on elections, weaponizing misinformation, social media, and disinformation. Is this the new normal? Can democracy survive? Guests: Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and author of the new book, Cyber War: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President – What We Don’t, Can’t, and Do Know www.asc.upenn.edu/people/faculty/kathleen-hall-jamieson-phd Jamie McKown, Faculty, Government & Polity at the College of the Atlantic and James Russell Wiggins Chair in Government and Polity. coa.edu/live/profiles/1179-jamie mckown/templates/details/faculty.php To learn more about this topic: Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook Before It Breaks Democracy?, Evan Osnos in The New Yorker, September, 2018. Machine Politics, Fred Turner in Harpers Magazine, Januar

Election 2018: What Happened and What Does It Mean? Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Be sure to catch Democracy Forum in its regular time slot, 10-11 am on the 3rd Friday off each month. This edition of the Democracy Forum was canceled earlier in November due to a storm, and rescheduled in today’s time slot for this month only. Key Discussion Points: We talk about who won in Maine and why. How do the election outcomes in Maine reflect national trends–or not–along the dimensions of party majorities, women and minority candidates, voter turnout, demographics, and voter suppression? What does it all mean for governing in the biennium ahead? Guests: John Baughman, Associate Professor of Politics at Bates College. www.bates.edu/politics/faculty/john-baughman/ Jill Goldthwait, Columnist and former independent Maine State Senator www.mdislander.com/author/jgoldthwait To learn more about this topic: 2018: Another ‘Year of the Woman’ Brookings, Novemb

Political Polls: Can We Ever Trust Them Again? Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: the state of the art in political polling, why polls sometimes get it wrong, the emerging challenges for pollsters, what citizens need to know about who and what to believe. Guests: aAmy Fried, Professor & Department Chair, Political Science, University of Maine umaine.edu/polisci/faculty-and-staff/amy-fried/ Courtney Kennedy, Director of Survey Research at the Pew Research Center. www.pewresearch.org/staff/courtney-kennedy/ To learn more about this topic: Can we still trust polls? by Courtney Kennedy, May, 2018, from FactTank: News in Numbers at the Pew Research Center. Why Polling Can Be So Hard by Nate Cohn, September, 2018, from TheUpshot at the New York Times. You can trust the polls in 2018, if you read them carefully by Josh Pasek and Michael Traugott for The Conversation. Pathways to Polling: Crisis, Cooperation and the Making of Public Opinion Professions, A

Elections in Maine: Where the Rubber Meets the Road Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: what citizens need to know about the conduct of elections in Maine: what are the opportunities for citizen participation and observation; what aspects are conducted by the State with regard to the security and integrity of the process and the electronic components; what role do the town clerks play in making sure things run smoothly, etc. Guests: Patti Dubois, Waterville City Clerk www.waterville-me.gov/clerk/ Julie Flynn, Deputy Secretary of State, Maine Secretary of State’s Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. www.eac.gov/testing/staff-modules/julie-l-flynn/ To learn more about this topic: History of the Municipal Clerk, September, 2014, at the International Institute for Municipal Clerks Maine Town and City Clerks Association Maine Secretary of State Elections Division U.S. Elections Assistance Commission The all-volunteer team at the League of Wome

Distrust in Government: A Necessary Evil or a Weapon of Destruction? Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: a) the waxing and waning of Americans’ trust in government b) why a little skepticism may be a good thing c) how partisanship plays into the equation d) how too much distrust may be a self-fulfilling prophecy Guests: Amy Fried, Professor & Department Chair, Political Science, University of Maine umaine.edu/polisci/faculty-and-staff/amy-fried/ Thomas E. Mann, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution and Resident Scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, Berkeley www.brookings.edu/experts/thomas-e-mann/ To learn more about this topic: – Public Trust in Government: 1958-2017, Pew Research Center, December, 2017. – The Strategic Promotion of Distrust in Government in the Tea Party Age, Amy Fried, 2015. – Finding the Common Good in an Era of Dysfunctional Governance Thomas E.

State Preemption: From Guns to Garbage, Who’s Got the Power? Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: a) how federalism protects and constrains states’ rights and? b) how states can both protect and commandeer local control. c) from guns and garbage to water quality and pesticides, how much control do states and towns have to protect their assets or advance their values Guests: Garrett Crobin, a Legislative Advocate for the Maine Municipal Association www.memun.org/Legislative-Advocacy/Contact-Information Lauren E. Phillips, newly-minted JD from Columbia Law and authored an important article on state pre-emption for the Columbia Law Review. To learn more about this topic: –Impeding Innovation: State Preemption of Progressive Local Regulations, Lauren Phillips in the Columbia Law Review, Volume 117, No. 8, December 2017. –Blue Cities Want to Make Their Own Rules. Red States Won’t Let Them. more from TheUpshot at the New York Tim

Immigration: Can We Live Without It? Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne Key Discussion Points: Immigration and jobs Federal policy Effect on economic development and workforce in Maine Guests: Dany Bahar, David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution www.brookings.edu/experts/dany-bahar/ Carla Dickstein, Senior Vice President for Research and Policy Development at the Coastal Enterprise Institute www.ceimaine.org/about/staff-directory/name/carla-dickstein/ Martha Searchfield, Executive Director of the Bar Harbor Chamber Commerce www.visitbarharbor.com/staff-board-of-directors To learn more about this topic: Immigrants’ Contribution to Maine’s Workforce and Economy, from the Coastal Enterprise Institute Building Maine’s Economy: How Maine Can Embrace Immigrants and Strengthen the Workforce, more from CEI, 2016. 100 Years Ago, Maine’s Economy Was Powered by Immigrants reporting in the Bangor Daily

Ranked Choice Voting: How Will it Work In Maine Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne -How ranked choice voting is moving forward for the June primary -What the Secretary of State is planning -What voters need to know as they head for the polls. Guests: John Brautigam, a public interest attorney, senior adviser and strategist to the project, Maine Uses Ranked Choice Voting. www.mainecleanelections.org/who Grace Ramsey, deputy outreach director for FairVote, a national electoral reform advocacy group. www.fairvote.org/grace_ramsey To learn more about this topic: Maine Uses Ranked Choice Voting Fair Vote League of Women Voters of Maine The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes: Starr Gilmartin Maggie Harling Linda Hoskins Sheila Kirby Ann Luther Maryann Ogonowski Pam Person Leah Taylor Linda Washburn FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org