James Madison Center for Civic Engagement: Democracy Matters

Relying on executive authority and issuing 400 executive actions on immigration, the Trump adminsitration implemented policies on a wide range of immigration issues, touching on everything from asylum to deportation policy, refugee resettlement, and admissions from certain majority-Muslim countries. In this episode, we talk with Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Policy Counsel at the American Immigration Council about immigration law and policy and what to expect under the Biden administration. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/12-24-democracy-matters-episode-49.shtml

Dr. Melinda Adams, Associate Dean of JMU's College of Arts and Letters, discusses democratic transitions, what to expect in policy approaches to Africa under the Biden administration, women's political representation globally, and more. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/12-11-democracy-matters-episode-48.shtml

Is the United States a democracy? Is representative government failing the American people? In this episode, we talk with former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel about how bringing the people directly into the operations of government as deliberative lawmakers might make the United States more democratic. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/12-02-democracy-matters-episode-47.shtml

Should we be concerned about how legal challenges made by President Trump's campaign to challenge results in key states combined with the spread of false information and unfounded claims of fraud might undermine trust in elections and political institutions? Why can efforts to deter fraudulent voters make matters worse? How should we be thinking about rights to give and spend money in connection with elections? And how can so called "culture war" cases be adjudicated in courts? In this episode, we talk with election legal expert, Dr. Michael Gilbert, the Martha Lubin Karsh and Bruce A. Karsh Bicentennial Professor of Law, and Director of the Center for Public Law and Political Economy at the University of Virginia. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/11-25-democracy-matters-episode-46.shtml

How have changes in the media ecosystem impacted knowledge of issues and informed participation in elections? How did media coverage of the 2020 elections compare to 2016? Why is there so much distrust in the news media? How does the current mediascape with the ability to pick and choose from divergent news sources impact the ability of Americans to distinguish credible information from misinformation, disinformation and propaganda? And how has the rise of social media impacted elections? In this episode, we talk with JMU Professor of Political Science Dr. David Jones about the implications of the media for democratic participation, practice and governance. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/11-23-democracy-matters-episode-45.shtml

Americans today live shorter, sicker lives than people in other developed countries, and, across the nation, health varies by income, education, race and ethnicity, and geography. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Linda Plitt-Donaldson, Associate Dean of College of Health and Behavioral Studies and Director of the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services at James Madison University, and with Dr. Laura Merrell, Assistant Professor in Health Sciences, about the social determinants of health and why everyone should care about health equity. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/11-14-democracy-matters-episode-44.shtml

In this episode of Democracy Matters, we talk with Dr. Mildred García, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and with Jonathan Alger, president of James Madison University, about the role of higher education in advancing diversity and democracy, and higher education's special responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the communities in which they are situated. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/11-12-democracy-matters-episode-43.shtml

Leading up to the 2020 elections, there are over 260 lawsuits in the courts about who can vote, when ballots can be cast and by when they must be counted. In this episode, we talk with SCOTUSblog reporter and Supreme Court expert Amy L. Howe about the litigation arms race and the role of the Supreme Court in voting rights and election law. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-30-democracy-matters-episode-42.shtml

What does civil discourse mean to students? How can we have hard conversations in such a divisive political climate when the stakes are so high? In this episode, we talk about the politics of civility on campus and beyond with JMU students Wyatt Blevins (Political Science and Public Policy and Administration, '22), Chairman of the College Republicans; Robert Gruberger (History and Political Science, '22), Young Democratic Socialists of America at JMU; and Emily Baker (Political Science and English, '21), Campus Vote Project, Democracy Fellow. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-27-democracy-matters-episode-41.shtml

In this episode, students in our Elections 2020 class interview Chris Piper, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, about how the pandemic has affected election administration this year; historic levels of absentee and early voting; partnering with federal agencies and other states to combat foreign interference; and how litigation will affect when we know election results. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-26-democracy-matters-episode-40.shtml

How should we view the 2020 elections in the broader arc of American political history? What are some key questions we should be considering for governance in the wake of such a divisive election? What role does morality policy play in electoral politics? And what is the state of our political parties? In this episode, we dive into these questions and more with JMU Political Science faculty Dr. Marty Cohen and Dr. Kathleen Ferraiolo. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-23-democracy-matters-episode-39.shtml

As part of Global Climate Change Week encouraging academic communities to engage with each other, their communities, and policy makers on climate change action and solutions, we talk with Tom Benevento, co-founder of Vine and Fig about the 50 By 25 campaign working toward a clean, just energy transition in Harrisonburg. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-16-democracy-matters-episode-38.shtml

"Always remember-you're a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president." Dr. Bettye Kearse joins us for a discussion about her new book, The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-14-democracy-matters-episode-37.shtml

Are you feeling anxious, fatigued, worried, angry or hopeful about the election? In this episode we talk with Dr. Benjamin Blankenship, assistant professor of Psychology at James Madison University about what drives election emotions and what we can do to cope. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/10-08-democracy-matters-episode-36.shtml

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 https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/09-10-democracy-matters-episode-35.shtml

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-democracy-matters-episode-34.shtml

"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 individual president can possibly live up to the expectations for the office. We also discuss the 2020 election and whether President Donald J. Trump has changed and reinvented the presidency. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/08-11-democracy-matters-episode-33.shtml

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 nomination for U.S. Senate in 2018. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/08-03-democracy-matters-episode-32.shtml

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 especially focuses on voting rights, and how efforts over time to suppress voting rights based largely on race, ethnicity, and class have led to socioeconomic and political inequalities we see today. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2020/07-08-democracy-matters-episode-30.shtml