Voter ID and Voting Reforms: Top Officials To Discuss Sept. 12 at UMD Forum in D.C.

WHAT:

Top national figures will discuss the impact on the 2012 elections - up and down the ballot - of voter ID laws, updates to voter registration lists, concerns about voter suppression, early voting, military voting and electronically-delivered absentee ballots at this Washington, D.C. forum sponsored by the University of Maryland's Center for American Politics and Citizenship (CAPC) on Sept. 12.

Two high-level panels will look at the impact on voter participation, how parties are adapting to changes, effects on the composition of the next Congress and the long-term impact on U.S. Democracy.

Expanding the Franchise or Threatening Democracy - The Impact of Voting Reforms in the 2012 Elections will examine how election reform creates winners and losers among voters, candidates, and parties. In 2010, 108 U.S. House candidates won with 55 percent or less of the vote, demonstrating that small electoral advantages can have big consequences for policymaking, the conference organizers point out.

Attendance is free and open to all; please RSVP to CAPC@umd.edu

WHO:

Speakers include:

Congressman Pete Sessions, chair, National Republican Congressional Committee
Congressman David Price, Dem., North Carolina
Robert Bauer, general Counsel to the Democratic National Committee
Bob Carey, former director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program
David Mason, senior vice president, Aristotle Industries
Marty Stone, partner, Stone's Phones

WHEN:

Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 12:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Panel 1: Impact of New Voting Methods on Turnout and Fraud
(12:45 p.m. - 2 p.m.)

Panel 2: Impact of Election Reform on Campaigns & Voter Mobilization
(2:20 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.)

WHERE:

National Association of Realtors Headquarters
500 New Jersey Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., 12th Floor

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Laura Ours
UMD College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Communications
301-405-5722 (office)
703-850-8689 (cell)
lours@umd.edu

Richard Wellons
CAPC Coordinator
301-314-2736
rwellons@umd.edu

capc