ELECTION REFORM AGENDA CONFERENCE

May 7-9, 2009

Department of Political Science, University of Iowa

3rd Floor Schaeffer Hall

Hosted by Caroline Tolbert

Conference Schedule

Thursday May 7th

7:00 pm Dinner - Sheraton

Friday May 8th

8:00 am Welcome and Breakfast, Commons, Third Floor, Schaeffer Hall

AM1 (8:15-10:00): Best Practices in Legislative Redistricting and Partisan versus Non-Partisan Election Administration

“In Support of Redistricting Reform” Michael P. McDonald, George Mason University

“We Need More Politicians” Daniel C. Bowen, University of Iowa

“Partisan and Nonpartisan Election Administration” Daniel P. Tokaji, The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law

BREAK (10:00-10:15)

AM2 (10:15-12:00) A Better Way? Congressional and Presidential Elections

“Encouraging Individual Contributions to Candidates and Political Parties” David B. Magleby, Brigham Young University

“Reforming U.S. Presidential Elections” Jeffrey Karp, University of Exeter

“Reforming Presidential Nominations: A National Primary, Rotating State Primaries or Both?” Caroline Tolbert, University of Iowa

Lunch (12:00-1:00) Commons, Third Floor, Schaeffer Hall

PM1 (1:00-2:30) Best Practices in Election Administration

“Auditing the Election Ecosystem” Lonna Rae Atkeson, University of New Mexico (with Thad Hall, University of Utah and R. Michael Alvarez, California Institute of Technology).

“Voting Technology and Innovation” Thad Hall, University of Utah

BREAK (2:30-2:45)

PM2 (2:45-4:15) Minority and Gender Representation and Participation Barriers

“Taking Election Inequalities Seriously” Bruce Cain and Karin McDonald, University of California, Berkeley

“Electoral Structure and Minority Representation in the US” Rene Rocha, University of Iowa

“Barriers to Electing Women to Public Office: Attitudes, Structure and Context” Tracy

Tracy Osborn, University of Iowa (with Jessica Gerrity, Washington College)

Overall Comments and Discussion (4:15-5:15): “Getting from Here to There,” Heather Gerkin, Yale Law School

Dinner at Givanni’s Restaurant 6:30pm. Meet in the Sheraton Hotel lobby.

Saturday May 9th

Breakfast (8:00-8:30) Commons, Third Floor, Schaeffer Hall



AM1 (8:30-10:00): Best Practices in Voter Registration

“Resolving Voter Registration Problems: Making Registration Easier, Less Costly and

More Accurate” Michael Alvarez, California Institute of Technology and Thad Hall, University of Utah

“Election Day Registration” Ben Highton, University of California, Davis

BREAK 10:00-10:15

AM2 (10:15-11:45) Best Practices in Voting and Casting Ballots

“Best Practices for Casting Ballots: Early Voting” Paul Gronke, Reed College

“Improving Voting: Lessons learned from Studies of Voting Systems and Ballots” Paul Herrnson, University of Maryland

Overall Comments and Discussion (11:45-12:45): “The Logic of Reform” Todd Donovan, Western Washington University

LUNCH at the Bread Garden (1:00-2:30)

PM1 (2:30-3:00) Doug Jones, “Technologists and Election Reform” Department of Computer Science, University of Iowa

PM2: (3:00-3:45)”E-government as a Tool for Reform in Election Administration,” Kathleen Hale, Department of Election Administration, Auburn University and Karen Mossberger, University of Chicago, Illinois.

PM3 (3:45-4:15) “Support for a National Referendum in the United States.” Amanda Keller, University of Iowa (with Caroline Tolbert and Daniel Smith, University of Florida)

PM4 (4:15-5): Experts Vote On and Discuss Election Reform Agenda

6:15. Dinner Iowa River Power Plant Restaurant (Meet in Sheraton Lobby at 6 pm)