Democracy Forum

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Protest: Good Citizenship at Work? We talk about whether protests are a legitimate, if not necessary, form of civic participation. Are protests good citizenship or are they civil disorder? Is protesting effective in changing public policy? Are nonviolent actions more effective than those that involve violence? When do protest movements succeed? Gue...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We talk about the historical and contemporary link between labor organizing and expanding political rights like voting. -Is union organizing an important, if not essential, tool in building a vibrant democracy? -Has the diminution of labor unions contributed to the politics of resentment? -Has it provided fertile ground for the current moment of po...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Key Discussion Points: Whether this is one of the most divided moments in American history. How have these fractured moments come up in our prior history? What role is the emergence of multiracial democracy playing in this current divisive moment? What role has race played in the divisions of the past? Can a polity come back from such serious fragm...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Participatory Democracy: Is that for real? Conspiracy Theories in American Politics We’ll talk about the political and social conditions that give rise to conspiracy movements. Why are people drawn to these ideas? What are the conditions in civil society that are feeding into these trends? How have these moments come up in our history? How have we...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine -Our information ecosystem and how it’s contributed to this very divisive moment in American politics: -How did it go wrong, can we fix it? -What role do mis- and dis-information, social media, media silos, and alternative realities play in fostering extremism? -How are these issues playing out right here in real-world Maine? -What remedies a...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We’ll talk about the political divide in the aftermath of the 2020 general election. Do we share any common ground? What happened at “America in One Room” in 2019? And what does it mean for American in 2021. What lessons can we learn about American democracy and its future? Guests: Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for In...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Participatory Democracy: Election Reflections 2020 We will talk about the November 3 general election What just happened here in Maine and around the country What went right, what went wrong What it says about the future of our democracy Guests b: Shelly Crosby, Orono Town Clerk and president of the Maine Town and City Clerks Association Matthew Du...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Research into voter motivation; How new information can affect the way people form political opinions, make political choices and, ultimately, take political actions; How research into voter motivation might be relevant in the 2020 General Election. Guests: Yanna Krupnikov, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook U...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Who Votes, Who Can’t, and Who Won’t? We talk about voter participation in marginalized communities Structural/ systemic/ institutional barriers to voting, and motivational barriers to voting. Guests: Maulian Dana, Penobscot Nation Ambassador Michael Kebede, Policy Counsel, ACLU of Maine Chryl Laird, Assistant Professor of Government at Bowdoin Coll...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine NOTE: This is a rebroadcast of a program that originally aired on 11/15/2019 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, Professo...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Who won the Maine primaries and why. How did Maine elections work under COVID restrictions? What does it all mean for the high-stakes election in November? Guests: Matthew Dunlap, Maine Secretary of State b) Amy Fried, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Mainec) Jill Goldthwait, Columnist and former indep...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine The Electoral College, is it working as intended—and by the way, what was intended?— What issues have emerged over time, is Popular Election of the President a solution, and where does the National Popular Vote Compact fit in? Guests: Saul Azunis, Saul Anuzis is principal and managing partner of Coast to Coast Strategies. Mark Brewer, Professor of...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine We will talk about ranked choice voting (RCV) in the upcoming July and November elections in Maine RCV developments in other states The possible effect of a people’s veto and a pending law suit, and more. Guests: John Brautigam, senior advisor and counsel to the League of Women Voters of Maine. www.lwvme.org/who Marc Roberts, Republican Repre...

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 Beye...

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, E...

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...

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...

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 extraordi...

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/pr...

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...

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...

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? Gues...

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...

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...

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-...