Empowering Voting and Democracy is a virtual education series featuring insights from leading experts on voting rights and the democratic process. Events in the series elevate the work of those fighting for democracy and engage the public in efforts to expand equitable access to democratic institutions in the United States.
The series is organized by the Center for Social Development’s Voter Access and Engagement initiative, in collaboration with partners across the United States.
Videos from This Series
Events in This Series
Voting in Missouri, Civic Education, and Engagement: Local Voting, Community Action, and Impact
September 28, 2022
Louis Damani Jones, Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
Gena McClendon, Center for Social Development
Denise Lieberman, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition
Eric Fey, St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners
D. Benjamin Borgmeyer, St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners
Voting Is Social Work: Researchers Speak Out
September 13, 2022
The Center for Social Development is a cosponsor of this event, which is part of the series The Power of Macro Social Work: Forging Pathways, to be hosted by the Open Classroom at the Brown School at Washington University, in collaboration with Influencing Social Policy.
Mimi Abramovitz, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College
Gena Gunn McClendon, Center for Social Development
Shannon Lane, Yeshiva University
Gary Parker, Clark-Fox Policy Institute
Jenna Powers, University of Connecticut School of Social Work
Adelaide Sandler, Marist College
Moderator: Jason Ostrander, Sacred Heart University
Voting, Misinformation, Disinformation, and Manipulation
September 7, 2022
Shireen Mitchell, Media Manipulation
Jennifer Lohman, St. Louis Area Voter Protection Coalition
Moderator: Vicki C. Washington, St. Louis Area Voting Initiative
Connecting Voting and Social Work
April 13, 2022
Tanya Rhodes Smith, Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work, University of Connecticut; Voting Is Social Work
Moderator: Gena Gunn McClendon, Center for Social Development
Social Work Day on the Hill/
Student Advocacy Day
March 9 & 10, 2022
The Center for Social Development cosponsored the 2022 Social Work Day on the Hill events, which were organized by the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy.
Voting Rights: What’s It All About?
March 30, 2022
Barbara Arnwine, Transformative Justice Coalition
Elizabeth Hira, Brennan Center for Justice
Denise Lieberman, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition
Moderator: Gena Gunn McClendon, Center for Social Development; Jennifer Slavik Lohman, St. Louis Area Voter Protection Coalition; Vicki C. Washington, St. Louis Area Voting Initiiative
About Voter Access and Engagement at CSD
A strong democracy depends on a guarantee that all Americans deserve and can exercise the right to vote. CSD’s Voter Access and Engagement initiative works to protect voting rights through research and social innovation. The initiative examines practices and policies, investigates social conditions that threaten the right to vote, and tests strategies for inclusive participation in the voting process. Learn more.