Gena Gunn McClendon, esteemed director of community engagement at the Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University, passed away on October 21, 2023. She leaves behind an enduring legacy as a fierce advocate for equity, a champion for the disempowered and a passionate defender of voting rights. “Throughout her career, Gena has been a […]
Two recent events illuminated restrictions on ballot access and strategies to increase voting. Both featured national experts on voting rights.
Events to feature Barbara Arnwine, national voting rights experts, and elections officials As the United States prepares for the 2022 elections, voting rights are under threat. What can be done to protect access to the ballot? Civil rights leader Barbara Arnwine of the Transformative Justice Coalition, Elizabeth Hira of the Brennan Center for Justice and […]
As she stood at the podium, Gena Gunn McClendon considered the moment. “We’re here to learn. We’re here to teach,” she told those gathered on Saturday, May 8. McClendon, director of the Voter Access and Engagement Initiative with the Center for Social Development in the Brown School at Washington University, leads research to identify voting […]
Dozens of Brown School students, staff and faculty volunteered at polls across the St. Louis region November 3, helping voters to cast their ballots in what would turn out to be the largest vote total in U.S. history and the highest turnout rate since 1900.
On September 22, Gena McClendon, Cori Bush, Tishaura Jones, and others gathered for the John Lewis “Good Trouble” March to the Ballot Box.
With the presidential election looming this year, voting is as important as ever. For Black History Month, Gena Gunn McClendon, director of CSD’s Voter Access and Engagement initiative, participated in numerous events to discuss voter suppression and the crucial importance of the black vote.
For her work, Dr. Gena Gunn McClendon has been honored with the Ambassador Andrew J. Young Award for Outstanding Ethics, Service, and Commitment to Family and Community.
Research from the Center for Social Development shows that where voters live can influence their ability to vote. “In volunteering at the polls, I noticed that equipment malfunctions and other issues seemed relatively common at some sites, explained Gena Gunn McClendon, director of CSD’s Voter Access and Engagement initiative and a co-author of “Will I […]
On September 12 at the Brown School, representatives from regional universities, Missouri and Illinois election board members and community organizations convened for the second Campus and Community Voter Engagement Summit. “The summit presented opportunities for key stakeholders to have a dialogue about the significance of strategies that promote student participation in voting and the importance […]
Awareness about voter suppression is gaining momentum, in part through screenings of “Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook.” Building on a positive response to the first screening on Washington University’s campus, the Center for Social Development’s Voter Access and Engagement (VAE) project collaborated with community partners to host a second screening on August 3, 2019 at […]
More than 100 guests turned out Wednesday afternoon for a screening of the documentary “Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook.” “Voter suppression is wrong, and it’s real,” Mac Heller, the documentary’s executive producer, said before the show. The event at the Brown School was a joint effort between the Voter Access and Engagement (VAE) initiative and […]
The Center for Social Development’s Voter Access and Engagement initiative trained and dispatched 38 researchers to 20 polling places in St. Louis City and County on Election Day, November 6.
In St. Louis and St. Louis County, voter registration and voting are lower in ZIP codes with more black residents, according to a new study from researchers at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.
About 50 people participated in Election Protection training on October 23 at the Brown School. Denise Lieberman, senior attorney and co-program director for the Voter Protection Program at the Advancement Project, led the nonpartisan training to prepare volunteers for the November 6 election. She also updated them on a new change in Missouri election law. […]
Representatives from St. Louis universities and community organizations gathered for the first Campus and Community Voter Engagement Summit, on August 9 at the Brown School.
Please join us for the event Black Wealth, Black Health: The Power of the Black Vote, from 2-4 p.m. June 30 at Schlafly Library, 225 N. Euclid Ave.
Voter Access and Engagement is a nonpartisan partnership that connects public, nonprofit and private-sector organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan area.