The Democracy Series: A Conversation with Authors E.J. Dionne, Jr., and Miles Rapoport

Join the University of Chicago Center for Effective Government, the Chicago Center on Democracy, and Seminary Co-op Bookstores on Wednesday, May 25, at 6 PM CT, for another installment of ‘The Democracy Series’—a joint initiative of public events featuring dialogue between book authors and experts on issues related to the state of democracy in the U.S. and abroad.

E.J. Dionne, Jr., a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a professor at Georgetown University, and Miles Rapoport, the Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School, will discuss their book,100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting. The event will feature:

• E.J. Dionne, Jr. | Co-author, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting

• Miles Rapoport | Co-author, 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting

• Anthony Fowler (Moderator) | Professor, Harris School of Public Policy

About the book:

A timely and paradigm-shifting argument that all members of a democracy must participate in elections, by a leading political expert and Washington Post journalist

Americans are required to pay taxes, serve on juries, get their kids vaccinated, get driver’s licenses, and sometimes go to war for their country. So why not ask—or require—every American to vote?

In 100% Democracy, E.J. Dionne and Miles Rapoport argue that universal participation in our elections should be a cornerstone of our system. It would be the surest way to protect against voter suppression and the active disenfranchisement of a large share of our citizens. And it would create a system true to the Declaration of Independence’s aspirations by calling for a government based on the consent of all of the governed.

It’s not as radical or utopian as it sounds: in Australia, where everyone is required to vote (Australians can vote “none of the above,” but they have to show up), 91.9 percent of Australians voted in the last major election in 2019, versus 60.1 percent in America’s 2016 presidential race. Australia hosts voting-day parties and actively celebrates this key civic duty.

It is time for the United States to take a major leap forward and recognize voting as both a fundamental civil right and a solemn civic duty required of every eligible U.S. citizen.

Note: This book is available for purchase at a discounted rate at the Seminary Co-op Bookstores through the Democracy Series Discount Program! Take 30% off retail at the link below using the coupon code "VOTE" — offer valid through June 24 or until supplies last.