Cannon Lecture Series
"Democracy and Inclusion in the Post-Civil Rights Era "
Wednesday, Mar. 26 | Noon-1 p.m.
Law Center, McQuade Law Auditorium
Democracy remains a contested idea in America, and this contestation affects voting rights practice. While some states have promoted voter inclusion and structural fairness in the political community, other states in the name of election integrity have made voting more exclusionary. Additionally, the courts have increasingly deferred to the states on this topic, eroding important federal protections.
These differences reveal an underlying conflict about a fundamental question for American democracy -- who is and who is not worthy of voting? This conflict shapes the meaning and application of the values of equality and participation that have defined this country since its founding. Every generation in American history has debated the meaning of American democracy both within and outside of the law.
This talk will locate the law of democracy within this larger discourse about American democratic inclusion. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources, it will show how our understanding of voting rights reveals a restrictive conception of worthiness that excludes the most marginalized in our society, and how “outsiders” have strived for inclusion.
Atiba R. Ellis is the Laura B. Chisolm Distinguished Research Scholar and Professor
of Law at Case Western Reserve University Law School. A nationally recognized voting
rights scholar, his research focuses primarily on how varying conceptions of the right
to vote may dissuade and exclude voters on the margins. He has written about the economic
entry barriers posed by voter ID laws, the theoretical scope of Citizens United, the
trajectory of race-conscious civil rights law, the race-or-party dilemma in voting
rights law, dignity and voting rights, voter fraud and the epistemic crisis of elections,
and related topics. His work has been published in the Georgia Law Review, the Boston
University Law Review, the Catholic University Law Review, the Chicago-Kent Law Review,
the Howard Law Journal, and numerous other journal publications. Professor Ellis’s current research focuses on how ideologically driven conceptions of “wrongful voters” animate the mechanisms of
voter suppression. He has also written on critical legal theory and legal history.
About the lecture
This free, public lecture is part of the Cannon Lecture Series that was established in 1980 to honor former Toledo attorney Joseph A. Cannon. The series hosts nationally known individuals who explore both the humanistic dimensions and limitations of our legal system. For a list of guest speakers and lecture videos from previous years, please visit our past speakers page.
Parking
McQuade Law Auditorium is on the main level of the Law Center — located at 1825 West Rocket Drive, immediately inside the UToledo West Entrance off of Secor Road and south of Bancroft Street.
You will need a guest permit which can be obtained at guestparking.utoledo.edu for $5.75/day. Alternatively, you can use the ParkMobile app in most areas on campus which allows you to pay for short term parking.