James Madison Center for Civic Engagement: Democracy Matters

This episode features the audio from JMU Civic's virtual town hall with Libertarian Party presidential candidate Dr. Jo Jorgensen. We discuss a range of issues including the size and role of the federal government, military and national defense, healthcare, immigration, COVID-19 pandemic, criminal justice reform, the environment and more. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at...

Amidst the COVID-19 public health crisis, many are pondering how we can have safe, secure elections this year while also ensuring access. In this episode, we talk with Michael Pfeifer, a voting rights and political law attorney who says the key is to vote by mail. "The USPS has got this," says Pfiefer. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/08-27-de...

"The American presidency is in trouble," says CBS News correspondent John Dickerson in his new book, The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency. "It is overburdened, misunderstood, an almost impossible job to do." In this episode we talk with John about how expansive the presidency has become from what was initially intended for the institution and its responsibilities, and why no indiv...

It's probably safe to say that Bo Copley never expected to run for U.S. Senate. A lifelong resident of Mingo County, West Virginia, Copley worked in the coal industry for 11 years until he was laid off on September 18, 2015. In this episode of Democracy Matters, we talk with Director and Producer Todd Drezner about The Campaign of Miner Bo, which documents Bo Copley's bid for the Republican nomina...

In this episode, we talk with Virginia House of Delegates Representative Schuyler VanValkenburg about civics education, changes in Virginia voting laws, vote-by-mail, redistricting reform on the ballot this November and more. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/07-28-democracy-matters-episode-31.shtml

In his new book, Democracy in One Book Or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn't, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think, David Litt addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing democracy, including partisan rancor, gerrymandering, campaign finance, voter suppression, political corruption, the legislative filibuster and how people are represented (or not) in our political system. David es...

This episode features a conversation with Semaj Sorhaindo, JMU Football Student-Athlete; Nikki Oppenheimer, JMU Women's Basketball Student-Athlete; Arthur Moats, JMU alumn and linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Arizona Cardinals; Ta' Frias, JMU Track and Field Head Coach; Jeff Bourne, Director of Athletics, James Madison University; and Roger Soenksen, Faculty Athletic Repr...

In this episode we hear music, spoken word, poetry, and discussion about the role of arts as a means for education, agency and expression of antiracism and racial equity. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/06-19-democracy-matters-episode-28.shtml

Have you ever felt like you were wasting your vote on a candidate because you could only choose one candidate on the ballot and wondered if there is a better way? In this episode, we talk with Deb Otis, Senior Research Analyst in the Law and Policy Department at Fair Vote, about Ranked choice voting (RCV). RCV describes voting systems that allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference, an...

The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have brought attention to the racist policies and systems that engender violence (both sudden and systemic, physical and attitudinal) against Black people in the United States. The current protests are not just in response to these most recent killings – they are in response to the systemic racism that is woven through our soci...

We are experiencing a global migration and refugees crisis with nearly 71 million people who have fled their homes worldwide, the highest number since World War II. In this episode, we talk about the crisis and what can be done about it with Dr. Diya Abdo, founder of Every Campus a Refuge, Dr. Jamie Williams, associate director of JMU's Community Service-Learning, and Nadiya Khaydari, a junior at...

In this episode, we talk with Virginia State Senator Scott Surovell (JMU, '93; UVA Law, '96), the Senate Democratic Whip, about what happened in the 2020 legislative session, election reform, options for voting during the pandemic, and redistricting reform on the ballot in November 2020. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/05-14-democracy-matters...

As headlines declare relations between the United States and China have sunk to a new low, we talk with China expert and James Madison University Political Science Professor Dr. Edward Yang about how the COVID-19 crisis is impacting China-U.S. relations, and what can be done to improve and reinvigorate diplomacy between China and the U.S. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at...

Democracy is very much a collective activity. Inside, we come together to debate, discuss, do the work of government, and make laws. Outside, we protest and hold rallies. But much of this is not possible. Social distancing presents a tremendous challenge. In this episode from The Democracy Group podcast network, we look at the barriers and the opportunities as we all deal with the COVID-19 pandemi...

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Census faced serious challenges to achieving a complete and accurate count because of politics, budget restrictions, employing new technology and because social media amplifies the spread of misinformation and disinformation. The global public health crisis has thrown into sharp relief the importance of a complete count, including: ensuring accurate repr...

As more states prepare for primaries and as the nation plans for the November 2020 general elections, how should candidates approach campaigning and how should elections be administered during a pandemic? What is the role of the media and what will matter most to voters when they cast their ballot in November? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Larry Sabato, Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics...

In this episode, we have an in-depth conversation with James Madison University President Jonathan R. Alger about what kind of leadership is needing during a global crisis and what it has been like to make important decisions on big matters with incomplete information at an unprecedented pace - from reorganizing courses for distance and online learning to responding to local community needs. See t...

In 1897, W.E.B Du Bois wrote, 'Then it dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil." In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jarrit Ahmed Sheel, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Berklee College of Music, who spent a week as the College of Visual and Performing Arts Cul...

What do high levels of distrust and socioeconomic and political inequality portend for democracy and civility? In this episode we talk with Dr. Robert Talisse, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University about what civility is and why it fails. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/03-21-democracy-matters-episode-17.shtml

In this episode, we talk with JMU School of Media Arts and Design Assistant Professor Ryan Alessi about the best strategies for evaluating political news stories in a hyperpartisan election year. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/02-24-democracy-matters-episode-16.shtml

Community banks are vital to the American economy and society. In this episode, we talk with JMU College of Business Finance Professor Dr. Carl Larsson, and with Katie Jarrett, a senior in the School of Media Arts and Design and Corinne Barbieri, a senior Finance major, who are members of JMU's Banking Team. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/01...

In this episode, we talk with Ian Simmons, the Founder and President of the Foundation for Civic Leadership and a member of the Madison Center's advisory board, about best practices and promising projects for enhancing democracy. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/01-01-democracy-matters-episode-14.shtml

History doesn't always move toward the inclusion of groups. Sometimes rights can be lost as well as gained. Take, for example, the American Revolutionary period, which created opportunities for women to participate in politics. By 1828, however, women's politicization was seen more as a liability than as a strength, and contributed to a divisive political climate that brought the country to the br...

Although there have been many advancements since the passage of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, there is much to be done to improve the status of women, including among other things: ending sex-based discrimination, improving maternal mortality rates for black women, ensuring equal pay for equal work, increasing protections for the LGBTQ+ community, and addressing challenges faced by...

2019-2020 marks the 100th anniversary since the passage and ratification of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution which articulated that, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The 19th amendment was the result of centuries of activism and contributions from many social movements to ensure t...