The Past, Present, and Future of Presidential Elections

Live at the National Constitution Center

In the wake of election 2020, we partnered with the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law to present its annual symposium exploring the past, present, and future of presidential elections. Jeffrey Rosen moderates a three-part conversation.

Panel one on the origins of presidential elections and the electoral college at America’s founding features:

• William Ewald, professor of law and philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.
• Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs and the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University.
• Jack Rakove, emeritus William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies, and Professor of Political Science and (by courtesy) Law at Stanford University

Panel two on the more recent history of presidential elections, including the 2020 election, features:

• Edward Foley, the Ebersold Chair in Constitutional Law at The Ohio State University where he also directs the election law program
• Alexander Keyssar, the Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
• Guy-Uriel Charles, the Edward and Ellen Schwarzman Professor of Law at Duke Law School and co-director of the Duke Law Center on Law, Race and Politics

Panel three, looking ahead to the future of our presidential elections system features:

• Jesse Wegman, member of The New York Times editorial board
• Bradley A. Smith, Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault Designated Professor of Law at Capital University Law School
• Joel Benenson, founder and CEO of the Benenson Strategy Group
• Matthew Dowd, chief political analyst for ABC News