October 22, 2003

Symposium on North American Election Law at American University (Washington D.C.)

Readers may be interested in the following conference information:

    AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
    CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND ELECTION MANAGEMENT
    CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN STUDIES
    WITH
    ELECTION LAW JOURNAL AND
    ELECTIONS CANADA, ELECTORAL TRIBUNAL OF MEXICO,
    UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT’S
    MEXICO ELECTIONS PROJECT,
    AND UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
    CO-SPONSOR

    DEMOCRACY AND ELECTIONS IN NORTH AMERICA:
    WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM OUR NEIGHBORS?

    SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15
    Butler Boardroom, American University main campus

    THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS 9:00-10:30 am

    Chair: Robert Pastor, American University
    Canada: Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Chief Elections Officer, Canada
    Mexico: Jacqueline Peschard Mariscal, Federal Election Institute, Mexico (IFE)
    U.S.: Leonard Shambon, Counsel,Wilmer, Cutler, and Pickering; legal advisor to the Carter-Ford Commission on Election Reform

    Commentators: E. J. Dionne, Washington Post
    Richard Smolka, Professor Emeritus, American University and Editor of Election Administration Report

    Break 10:30-11:00 am

    CAMPAIGN FINANCING 11:00-12:30 am

    Chair: Juan Williams, National Public Radio
    Canada: Lisa Young, University of Calgary
    Mexico: Jesus Orozco, Judge, Federal Electoral Tribunal of Mexico
    U.S.: Donald Simon, Of Counsel, Common Cause

    Commentators: Thomas E. Mann, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
    Diane Davidson, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer and Legal Counsel, Elections Canada

    Lunch 12:30-1:45 pm

    PROCEDURAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES 2:00-3:30 pm
    A Roundtable

    Chair: Fernando Ojesto Martinez, President, Federal Electoral Tribunal of Mexico

    1. What the U.S. Can Learn from Canada on Re-districting
    John Courtney, University of Saskatchewan

    2. What Mexico (and others) Would Gain from Instant Runoff Voting
    Robert Richie, Executive Director, Center for Voting and Democracy

    3. What Mexico Can Learn from the U.S. on Conducting Party Elections
    Steve Wuhs, University of Redlands

    4. What the U.S. Can Learn from Mexico on Registration and Identification of Voters
    George Grayson, College of William and Mary

    5. Re-Defining Electoral Democracy: What Everyone Can Learn
    Keith Archer, University of Calgary

    5. Memoranda on Constitutional and Procedural Issues:
    a. “The Right to Vote in the U.S.,” Jamin Raskin, American University Washington College of Law
    b. “Re-Electing Congress in Mexico,” Jeffrey Weldon, ITAM, Mexico
    c. “Enforcing Campaign Finance Laws in Canada,” Diane Davidson, Elections Canada
    d. “Resolving Electoral Disputes in Mexico,” Todd Eisenstadt, American University

    Commentators: James Thurber, Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University
    Richard Berke, New York Times

    Break 3:30-4:00 pm

    LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER 4:00-5:30 pm

    Chair: Benjamin Ladner, President, American University
    Canada: Joe Clark, former Prime Minister and former Foreign Minister, Canada
    Mexico: Jesus Silva-Herzog, Mexico’s former Ambassador to the US and former Finance Minister
    U.S.: Robert A. Pastor, Vice President, American University

    Commentator: Richard L. Hasen, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and Co-Editor of Election Law Journal


There is no charge for attending the conference. Conference papers will appear in a future issue of the Election Law Journal. UPDATE: If you are interested in attending, please notify the Office of International Affairs at 202-885-1535.

Posted by Rick Hasen at October 22, 2003 07:20 AM