CID PAST EVENTS
Election 2024: What Just Happened? Is it Really Over?
On November 13, the Center for Inclusive Democracy and the USC Capital Campus held the first event in our two-part post-election series: “Election 2024: What Just Happened?” This panel, entitled “Election 2024: Is it Really Over?” will feature a conversation on who voted, how accurate the polls were, how officials managed the election, and the challenges ahead for U.S. democracy.
Election 2024: Is It Really Over?
Speakers:
Mindy Romero - Director, USC Center for Inclusive Democracy (moderator)
Virginia Kase Solomon - President and CEO, Common Cause
Thomas Hicks - Commissioner, US Elections Assistance Commission
Jocelyn Kiley - Senior Associate Director of Research, Pew Research Center
CID Conference on October 1
Understanding California Elections and Electorate Ahead of November
CID hosted a democracy conference at the USC Sacramento Campus titled, Understanding California Elections and Electorate Ahead of November.
The conference featured panels of national and local experts who discussed the state of voter turnout in California, and the challenges and opportunities for administering (and engaging in) safe and accessible elections this November.
Sponsored by Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund, California Black Freedom Fund, California Community Foundation, Latino Community Foundation, Northern California Grantmakers, and Powerful Innovations for Voter Organizing and Transformation.
For a detailed summit agenda, click here.
Recordings available now for each presentation and panel:
Why Is Voter Engagement Needed?: Turnout Disparities in California's Elections (welcome/presentation by Mindy Romero)
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlight reel.The Transformation of California’s Election Administration (presentation by Eric McGhee)
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlight reel.What to Expect in the Next 60 Days?: Threats, Risks, Opportunities in Election Administration (panel)
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlight reel.New Developments in Local Elections and Local Reforms on the Ballot (panel)
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlight reel.A Multi-Racial Democracy Requires Inclusive and Reliable Data (panel)
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlight reel.What to Expect From Voters This November (panel)
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlight reel.
Will Voters Turn Out in November?: Opportunities and Challenges to Conducting Voter Outreach in 2024
Webinar Series on Voter Turnout and Outreach in California
A webinar series examining the experience of Californians in their state's election system.
This webinar series takes an in-depth look at new CID research on how voters navigate getting election-related information, respond to outreach messaging, and ultimately decide on the method of casting their ballot. The series also provides further insight into the work of community mobilizing efforts and how they work within the California election system (barriers and opportunities) while seeking to reach voters and potential voters, particularly among historically underrepresented communities.
Webinar sessions were held Tuesdays in May and June at noon (pacific time) - starting May 14.
Recordings of all the sessions in this series are below.
California’s Ballot Tracking Service: Who is Using it and How Does it Impact Voter Confidence and Behavior?
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlights video.
Click here for the presentation slides.Voter Messaging in an Inequitable Outreach and Information Landscape: Strategies for the 2024 Election
Click here for the recording.
Click here for the highlights video.
Click here for the presentation slides.California's Election Reforms: How do Community Organizing Efforts Navigate the State's Election System to Reach New Voters
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlights video.
Click here for the presentation slides.California's New Electorate: The Strength of the Latino Black and Asian-American Vote
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlights video.
Click here for the presentation slides.Achieving a Representative Democracy: How to Conduct Effective Voter Outreach in 2024 and Beyond
Panelists:
Kevin Cosney, Co-founder and Associate Director, California Black Power Network
Melissa Romero, Senior Legislative Affairs Manager, California Environmental Voters
Kim Alexander, President, California Voter Foundation
Tommy Gong, Deputy Clerk-Recorder, Contra Costa County
Click here for the full recording.
Click here for the highlights video.
The research presented in this series was supported by the Evelyn and Walter HAAS Jr. Fund.
Elections in the Age of AI
The increasing use of AI-generated content – e.g. fake photos and videos – has made it harder than ever to recognize misinformation and disinformation. Leading up to the November election, what are some ways voters can identify AI-generated content, and what threat could this technology pose to the future of our democracy?
Elections in the Age of AI
Click here for the full recording
Click here for the highlight video
Click here for Dr. Romero's presentation slides
ESRA Conference Comes to USC
The 8th annual Election Science, Reform, and Administration Conference was held at the Price School of Public at the University of Southern California and hosted by Price faculty, Mindy Romero and Christian Gross. ESRA invited participation from scholars in political science, public administration, law, computer science, statistics, and other fields who are working to develop rigorous empirical approaches to the study of how laws, technology, and administrative procedures affect the quality of elections in the United States. The purpose of the conference was to engage both practitioners and scholars alike on pressing topics related to U.S. elections by providing a forum for collaboration and exchange that can stimulate policy evaluation and innovation. Unlike traditional academic conferences, ESRA seeks to facilitate a shared space between academics and election professionals so as to encourage the practical applications of scholarly research in the field.
Registration is now closed.
CID SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON DC JANUARY 29TH
CID hosted a democracy summit at the new USC Washington D.C. Campus (Dupont Circle) building titled, Building an Inclusive Democracy: Why Equitable Voter Turnout Matters in 2024 Elections and Beyond.
The conference, sponsored by Democracy Fund, featured panels of national and local experts who discussed the state of voter turnout in the U.S, and the challenges and opportunities for the 2024 elections and beyond.
CID kicked off the day by holding a press conference to announce the findings from a new nationwide voter turnout study that includes analyses of the representativeness of the U.S. electorate. The study includes a breakdown of the role that voters of color will play in the 2024 elections, including competitive congressional districts.
For a detailed summit agenda, click here.
Recordings available now.
Introductory Remarks and CID Study Findings: https://youtu.be/YFpRG5EBWAo
Panel One: https://youtu.be/leHAWOlek3M
Panel Two: https://youtu.be/0nN0jb_Rfbs
Panel Three: https://youtu.be/ODzG_Ta1Hko
Keynote and Summary: https://youtu.be/jYuWVDkbq70
The State of California’s Changing Electorate
capitol Briefing Series
2023-2024
In partnership with the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the Center for Inclusive Democracy conducted a series of legislative briefings at the State Capitol focused on California’s changing electorate.
The series explored issues of voter access and equity in the state, California’s changing demographics and its impact on elections and redistricting, as well as other developments impacting voter turnout and engagement.
Recordings of the six briefings in the series are available online now:
California Voter’s Choice Act (VCA) at Five Years
Speaker:
Mindy Romero, Ph.D., Director of the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID)
Panelists
Russia Chavis Cardenas, Voting Rights & Redistricting Program Manager, California Common Cause
Dora Rose Deputy Director, League of Women Voters of California
Laiseng Saechao, Policy and Campaign Director, California Calls
Full recording
Language Access in California's Elections
Speaker:
Mindy Romero, Ph.D., Director of the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID)
Panelists
Pedro Hernández, Legal and Policy Director, California Common Cause
Deanna Kitamura, Program Manager & Senior Staff Attorney, Voting Rights, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus
Sukaina Hussain, Deputy Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations Sacramento Valley/Central California
Full recording
California Redistricting: Opportunities and Remaining Challenges
Speakers:
Mindy Romero, Ph.D., Director of the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID)
Christian Grose, Ph.D., Academic Director, USC Schwarzenegger Institute, Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy
Panelists
Helen Hutchison, CA League of Women Voters
Sietse Goffard, Senior Program Coordinator of Voting Rights, Advancing Justice – ALC
Full recording
California’s Formerly Incarcerated: Challenges and Opportunities in Accessing Voting Rights
Speakers:
Mindy Romero, Ph.D., Director of the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID)
Kevin Cosney, Co-Founder and Associate Director, California Black Power Network
Panelists
Taina Angeli Vargas - Co-founder, Initiate Justice
Chala Bonner - Civic Engagement Officer, Safe Return Project
Ingrid Archie - Timedone Organizing Director, Alliance for Safety and Justice
Laila Aziz - Director of Operations, Pillars of the Community
Full recording
Voter Turnout Gaps and Underrepresentation in California's Elections
Speaker:
Mindy Romero, Ph.D., Director of the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID)
Panelists
Melissa Romero, Senior Legislative Manager, California Environmental Voters
James Woodson, Executive Director, California Black Power Network
Jonathan Stein, Executive Director, California Common Cause
Full recording
California’s new motor voter law: What has been the reform’s impact on the make up of the state’s registered electorate?
Speakers:
Mindy Romero, Ph.D., Director of the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy (CID)
Eric McGee, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)
Full recording
Behind Closed Doors
WEBINAR SERIES ON RACISM AND POLITICS
In December 2022, CID and partners kicked off a new webinar series exploring the entrenchment of racism in U.S. politics and its impact on political power and representation in communities. Titled “Behind Closed Doors,” this moderated sessions serves as a public space for open and challenging conversations examining the nation’s entrenched relationship between racism and politics, a situation recently brought further into the spotlight by the secret recording of a meeting of Los Angeles City Council members making racist remarks.
All four webinars in the series are available online now:
Behind Closed Doors Part 1: How the Los Angeles City Council Recording is a Case Study in the Exercise of Political Power through Racism in the U.S.
View the webinar highlights.
Behind Closed Doors Part 2: White Supremacy and the Roots of Anti-Blackness Among Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
View the webinar highlights
Behind Closed Doors: Redistricting - Does it Really have to be Zero-Sum Politics? How Multi-Racial Coalitions Have Worked Together to Build Political Power for All
View the webinar highlights
Behind Closed Doors: How Communities Move Forward Toward Dismantling the Relationship Between Political Manipulation and Racism
View the webinar highlights
VOTER ACCESS AND THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Who goes to the polls – and who gets to vote – may well determine the 2022 midterm elections, particularly in competitive congressional districts. Join one of the Price School’s leading election scholars as she delves into the fine points of voter access with state officials from the midterm’s front lines. Join the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the USC Price Center for Inclusive Democracy one month out from election day for a conversation with Judd Choate, director of elections of Colorado, Jesse Harris Sr., deputy elections director of Georgia and Adam Ambrogi, senior director for voting and elections for the League of Women Voters. The conversation will be moderated by Mindy Romero, director of the USC Price Center for Inclusive Democracy.
Click here for a recording of the webinar
CALIFORNIA'S FORMERLY INCARCERATED: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN ACCESSING VOTING RIGHTS
The Center for Inclusive Democracy's latest report, “California’s Formerly Incarcerated: Challenges and Opportunities in Accessing Voting Rights” was released at a CID webinar on June 19th, 202. The webinar was presented in partnership with the California Black Power Network (CBPN). CBPN led a panel discussion featuring community leaders who discussed the implications of the report’s findings.
A recording of the report presentation and forum is now available.
The full report can be accessed here.
THE BLACK VOTING EXPERIENCE IN CALIFORNIA
The Center for Inclusive Democracy’s latest report, “The Voting Experience of Black Californians: 2020 General Election and Beyond” was released at a webinar on Feb. 28, 2022, an event held in partnership with the California Black Power Network (CBPN). CID provided an overview of key findings from the new report, then CBPN led a panel discussion featuring community leaders and election experts, who discussed the implications of the report’s findings for the 2022 Midterm Elections and beyond.
Click here for the new report.
Click here for audio of webinar.
Click here for CBPN’s presentation slides.
Click here for CBPN’s Q&A responses.
Click here for PANA’s presentation slides.
Click here for CID’s research presentation slides.
CID Webinar Series: “Every Vote Counts: What’s Next After the 2020 Election?”
“Moving Beyond Polarization in the U.S.”
Featuring Mindy Romero, Founder and Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy and Research Assistant Professor, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy; Raúl Macías, Counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice; and Jonathan Mehta-Stein, Executive Director, California Common Cause
“Peaceful Transition of Power”
Featuring Richard L. Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science, University of California, Irvine School of Law; Amber McReynolds, Chief Executive Officer, National Vote At Home Institute; Mindy Romero, Founder and Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy and Research Assistant Professor, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy; and Arturo Vargas, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
“Lessons Learned”
Featuring Héctor Sánchez Barba, Executive Director, Mi Familia Vota and Senior Fellow, GW Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute; Kathay Feng, National Redistricting Director, Common Cause; Christian Grose, Academic Director, USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, and Associate Professor, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy; and Mindy Romero, Founder and Director, Center for Inclusive Democracy and Research Assistant Professor, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Other Recent CID Presentations
Price Talks: The Impact of Automatic Voter Registration on the U.S. Electorate
Featuring Sarah Brannon, Managing Attorney for the Voting Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union; Eric McGhee, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California; and Steve Trout, Director of Elections, Oregon
Price Talks: How We Continue to Fight for Democracy During a Pandemic
Featuring Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator and former California Secretary of State; Christian Grose, Academic Director of USC Schwarzenegger Institute; and Karen Flynn, President of Common Cause
Mindy Romero appears on TEDxUCDavis. This talk is titled, "The Power of the Youth Vote." Video courtesy of the TEDx Talks Channel.
Price Talks: Mindy Romero Discusses How COVID-19 Impacts the Upcoming Election