College of Law

Law Review holds symposium on election law

October 30, 2012

Election law experts gathered in the newly renovated McQuade Law Auditorium at The University of Toledo College of Law on Oct. 19 to consider how the country’s elections are conducted, financed, and monitored.
 
The free, public symposium, titled “Votes and Voices in 2012 - Issues Surrounding the November Election and Beyond,” was sponsored by The University of Toledo Law Review and coordinated by symposium editors Meredith Decker ’13 and John Pedro Dombrowski ’13, and publications editor Peggy Ery.

“It’s easy to vote in Ohio,” said Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted in his keynote address. He described his office’s work to balance the interests of making voting easy for all Ohioans while ensuring the process is secure.

Four panels addressed a range of election law topics, including political gerrymandering – the subject of an Ohio ballot measure – and the controversial voter identification laws being rolled out across the country. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and campaign finance reform were also on the agenda. Panelists included Michael Boos, vice president and general counsel for Citizens United, and Cynthia Bauerly, commissioner of the Federal Election Commission.

“Planning an event this large is daunting, but exciting,” said 3L Decker. “John and I worked well together, and we were lucky to have great support, both from the Law Review and the College of Law as a whole. I am really proud of how the event turned out and hope it was something that made everyone else proud, too.”