Democracy Forum

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 Pol...

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...

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 o...

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...

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, Pro...

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...

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, Se...

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 Choic...

Gerrymandering: What’s the Big Deal? Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Joel Mann How redistricting has changed over the last 50 years Thee emergence of extreme partisan gerrymandering Court cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court Why it matters in Maine. Guests: Matt Dube, Assistant Professor in Computer Information Systems at the University of Maine in Augusta...

Primary Elections: What Are They Good For? Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine Engineer: Amy Browne -How have primaries changed over the last 50 years? -Are they still working for the parties and the voters? -What changes are on the horizon in Maine? Guests: Jill Goldthwait, Political columnist Kevin Raye, Republican politician Dan Shea, Professor Government at Colby College &#1...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine   Engineer: Amy Browne Ten Months In: Taking Stock in Maine We’ll talk about what’s changed in Maine since the 2016 presidential election. How have the policies of the new administration affected Maine politics and people? Guests: Hannah Pingree, a Democrat, former Speaker of the House in Maine, now co-host of the Maine Event on Maine P...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine   Engineer: Amy Browne Political Parties: Do They Still Matter? We talk about the state of the two party system, how recent trends have weakened the parties even as partisanship has grown, whether our political parties threaten our democracy or hold the main hope for its salvation. Guests: Professor Mark Brewer, Professor of Political Science at th...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine   Engineer: Amy Browne Census 2020: Making Sense of the Census Key Discussion Points: We’ll talk about the history and evolution of the census, Why it’s important, Who uses census data, What’s being planned for 2020, What problems are on the horizon, and Why the census matters in Maine. Guests: –Margo Anderson, Distinguished...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine   Engineer: Amy Browne Civil Discourse: Can We Still Do It? What civil discourse looks like? Why does it seems to be so hard right now? How can we practice it ourselves? What can we to do encourage it in our leaders and public servants here in Maine? Guests: Tomas Spath, co-founder of the Institute for Civility in Government Matt Motyl, Assistant P...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Jobs in Maine: What’s the Future? Key Discussion Points: a) global changes in employment and the nature of work b) the shifting demographics of jobs c) barriers to work d) what it means for Maine Guests: James Breece, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Maine. umaine.edu/soe/faculty-and-staff/breece/...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Participatory Democracy Program Topic: Free Trade: Winners and Losers in Maine Key Discussion Points: We’ll talk about international trade policy How does it work? Who sets the rules? What does it mean for Maine? Guest: Kate DeLutio, economist, applied researcher, and trade expert. www.45northresearch.com/about...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Participatory Democracy Program Topic: Fake News: Who Can You Trust? Key Discussion Points: We’ll talk about the proliferation of news sources in the internet age The role of independent journalism in a liberal democracy The challenges for citizens in finding real news. b) Guests: John Christie, co-founder and...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: Two Maines: Can We Bridge the Divide? Key Discussion Points: a) We’ll talk about the cultural, demographic, and economic differences that define the two Maines and how those differences are sharpening political differences. b) Are there only two Maines? c) Can we bridge the divide? Guests: a) Alan Caron...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: John Greenman Program Topic: Ballot Questions in Maine: Whose Initiatives Are They? Key Discussion Points: We’ll discuss what happened in the recent election What our constitution provides What role the legislature and the governor are playing now. Guests: a) John Brautigam, Attorney and election law expert b) Ron Schmidt, Assoc...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: John Greenman Program Topic: The Civic Mission of Public Education Key Discussion Points: a) What is the historical role of public education in American democracy and civic life? b) Do inequities in public education and the failure of public schools to prepare all children for citizenship contribute to political inequality? c) What ca...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Participatory Democracy Program Topic: Election Reflections Key Discussion Points: What just happened? Why were we surprised? What role did voter suppression play in the election? And what does it mean for the future of democracy? Guests: Prof. Mark Brewer, Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine um...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: Ballot Questions in Maine Key Discussion Points: a) We’ll discuss the ballot questions in Maine this year, how the process works, what the questions mean, and how citizen initiatives fit into a representative versus a direct democracy. b) What are the questions on the ballot? What do they mean? What are...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: The Civic Mission of Public Education (NOTE: This was an abbreviated version of Democracy Forum. Due to technical difficulties the show was 30 minutes rather than the usual 60.) Key Discussion Points: a) We discuss whether inequities in public education and the failure of public schools to prepare all childre...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Program Topic: Privatizing Public Policy: Is Philanthropy Good for Democracy? Key Discussion Point: a) We discuss philanthropy, foundations, shadow networks, and the private drivers of public policy from the Koch Brothers to the Gates-inspired Giving Pledge. b) To what extent is a libertarian world-view pushing down taxes a...

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine     Engineer: Amy Browne Issue: Participatory Democracy Program Topic: Press or Propaganda: Corporate Media, a Free Press, and the Future of Democracy Key Discussion Points: -Tension between corporate, profit-motivated ownership of mainstream media and the public interest mission served by journalism in an open democracy. -What roles are old and ne...