The Future of the Voting Rights Act
On June 30th, over 100 people attended "The Future of the Voting Rights Act," a morning conference cosponsored by the New America Foundation and FairVote. The conference
featured some of the nation's top voting rights experts, who came together to review the recent Supreme Court decision known
as NAMUDNO and its impacts, and to think more expansively about voting rights and representation in the United States. Besides
a packed house, as well as an additional 50 people watching via live webcast, a dozen staff and lawyers from the Department of
Justice attended, including the head of the Voting section of the Civil Rights division, as well as many other voting rights
experts and academics.
Panelists spoke on a wide range of topics, from specific issues related to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to the possibility of a right-to-vote amendment and other reforms like proportional voting which hold potential to give representation to an increasingly diverse nation.
Below are full-length videos of both panels, including a list of the times for the appearance of speakers.
Panel I
Welcome and Introductory Comments
0:00-8:30 Steven Hill, Director, Political Reform Program, New America Foundation
The Supreme Court and Minority Voting Rights: A Discussion of NAMUDNO
8:30-11:38 Rob Richie, Executive director, FairVote
11:55-21:50 Kristen Clarke, Co-Director, Political Participation Group of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
22:40-33:47 Nate Persily, Professor of Law and Political Science, Columbia Law School
33:51-43:35 Lisa Bornstein, Senior Counsel, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
43:49-55:45 Jamin Raskin, State Senator, (Maryland), Director of the Law and Government Program, Washington College of Law
55:52-1:07:13 Edward Hailes, Senior Attorney, The Advancement Project
1:07:13 Questions and Answers
Panel II
After NAMUDNO: Fair Representation in a Changing America
0:00-3:00 Steven Hill, Director, Political Reform Program, New America Foundation
3:00-10:00 Myrna Perez, Brennan Center, Counsel on Democracy
13:58-22:30 Jon Greenbaum, Legal Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
23:35-32:10 Michael McDonald, Associate Professor of Government and Politics, George Mason University, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
32:45-40:40 Amy Ngai, Director, Program for Representative Government, FairVote
41:30-50:18 Steven Mulroy, Associate Professor of Law, University of Memphis School of Law, Shelby County Board of Commissioners
50:50-54:40 Lightning Round, Yes and No style questions for all of the panelists
54:45 Questions and Answers