UofA voting sessions for young voters seek to eliminate misinformation

The University of Arizona is hosting a series of voting sessions leading up to Election Day to highlight global threats to democracy to young voters.

Professor Lisa Sanchez said community dialogues were important for democracy, but especially for young voters who will cast their votes for the first time in a few weeks.

“Many of them are first-time voters and we want this to become a habit. We also want them to be confident that they have long-term confidence in democracy, long-term confidence in elections and all of these things that we see as really important outcomes,” she said.

The three discussions, hosted by the School of Government and Public Policy, focus on challenges to democracy, including misinformation and loss of trust in the electoral process.

Professor Paul Schuler said he wanted to emphasize that the United States is not the only country questioning the integrity of its democracy. More than 50 countries are holding elections this year, and Schuler’s panel will include scholars studying “democratic backsliding” in Europe, India and the Philippines.

“India, for example, has over a billion people, is one of the world’s most important democracies and has performed well in many different measures and indices of democracy as a country with free and fair elections,” he said. “We also have an expert on European politics who will deal with populism in Western Europe. With this talk we are trying to put the US election in the context of the erosion of democracy that some people around the world perceive.”

Registration is required for the events, but participation is free of charge. The panels are scheduled for October 10th, 24th and 29th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Virtual participation is also possible.

Register here for the panel on October 10th

Register for the panel on October 24th here

Register here for the panel on October 29th