R Street Institute
Oct
21
Time5:00PM — 6:30PM EST LocationR Street Office, 1411 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC, 20005
Events hosted by RSI AND In-Person

Democracy at 250: From Gerrymandering to Genuine Representation

Issues: America 250, Electoral Reform, Governance, Our Organization

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Featuring

[Moderator] Matthew Germer, Policy Director, Governance, R Street Institute

Chris Stirewalt, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; Contributing Editor, The Dispatch; Host, NewsNation

Walter Olson, Senior Fellow, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute

Overview

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, questions of representation and democratic legitimacy are front and center. From partisan gerrymandering and primary systems that drive polarization to calls for proportional representation and ranked-choice voting, Americans are increasingly debating how electoral structures shape the health of our republic.

This event—part of R Street’s 250th Anniversary Series—brings together R Street’s Governance Policy Director, Matthew Germer; political analyst Chris Stirewalt; and legal scholar Walter Olson to explore the landscape of electoral reform and what it means for American democracy at 250.

Together, they will examine:

  • How current electoral practices affect representation, accountability, and public trust.
  • The range of reforms under discussion, from proportional representation to ranked-choice voting and beyond.
  • The legal, political, and cultural barriers to reform.
  • How the Founders’ principles—equality, popular sovereignty, and civic virtue—might guide us in strengthening democratic institutions today.

A reception will follow to continue the conversation.

Additional Information: