Panel to discuss voting rights, new laws
Staff Report
The public is invited to a panel discussion on voting rights between noon and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the Faulkner Gallery at the Santa Barbara Central Library.
Recent changes by the U.S. Supreme Court have made laws possible in many states that indirectly and directly lead to voter suppression, particularly voter ID laws, according to the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara. Implementation of voter ID laws can disproportionately affect low-income, elderly, and other underrepresented populations.
At this panel discussion speakers will discuss how and why to protect voting rights, including:
– A brief history of voting rights and voter suppression in the U.S. by Ted Anagnoson, professor emeritus of political science at Cal State LA and a visiting professor at UCSB.
– The impact of gerrymandering and other means of voter suppression on minority voters, and the results of California’s new redistricting process, by Dr. Gregory K. Freeland, professor of political science at California Lutheran University
– Efforts by activists to promote civic engagement, remove barriers, and provide opportunities and information to support Latino and other underrepresented voters, by Marcos Vargas, executive director of the Fund for Santa Barbara.
The forum is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Public Library, and TVSB.
All library programs are free and open to the public.
