Description:

Election scholars from across the nation will discuss student voter registration, polling in key states and potential outcomes of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election during a special event open to all Big Ten students and guests.

The 90-minute virtual event, held at 5 p.m. (CDT) Oct. 27, will include time for debate, discussion, and analysis. Moderated by Northwestern University’s Dan Lewis, professor of human development and social policy in the School of Education and Social Policy, the discussion features scholars from the University of Michigan, Tufts University, and the University of Pennsylvania.

“We wanted to bring students together to make sense of the electoral terrain and hear a variety of scholarly perspectives,” said Lewis, the former longtime director of Northwestern’s Center for Civic Engagement, which encourages students to pursue voluntary service and research opportunities to help build communities.

Featured speakers include Michael Traugott, research professor at the Center for Political Studies and professor of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan; Dave Brinker, senior researcher at the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University; and Diana Mutz, director of the Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics and Samuel A. Stouffer Professor of Political Science and Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

NU Votes, a non-partisan initiative of Northwestern University’s Center for Civic Engagement, is co-sponsoring the event and will be on hand to answer final voting questions and help provide accessible and understandable information about registration and voting procedures. Northwestern's comprehensive 50-state voter hub works with partners across the University to promote informed voter engagement.