Denying the Deniers

Please join us Wednesday October 9th at 6:30pm in the Parson’s Gallery (2nd floor) in the PSU Urban Center Building for a conversation on mal- and misinformation about elections and how election officials and voters can be educated to identify and counter these messages.

We are pleased to be hosting Dr. Lisa Bryant and Dr. Mara Suttmann-Lea, both 2024-2026 Andrew Carnegie Fellows.

Dr. Lisa Bryant is a Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department at California State University, Fresno. Her research focuses on election administration and voter behavior, including studies on voter confidence, voter ID, voter mobilization, and the impact of election reforms on voter turnout. She was named an Andrew Carnegie Fellow in 2024 for her research on how political polarization impacts local election officials and the administration of elections, and she is recognized as a national expert on elections by the MIT Election Data and Science Labs (MEDSL). She currently sits on the research advisory board for the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), and is an editorial board member for both the Journal of Election Administration Research & Practice and Political Analysis.

Dr. Mara Suttmann-Lea is associate professor of American politics at Connecticut College specializing in elections. Their work is driven by an interest in strengthening access to and confidence in American democracy, and ensuring all those who wish to participate in the democratic process have the correct information needed to do so.

Suttmann-Lea’s research and teaching interweave assessments of how the intermediaries of democracy — election officials and political actors — shape the impact of voting laws on the public’s engagement in elections. They are a leading scholar of research on voter education, and their findings have been used to support the work of American election officials. Their research has been funded by the Social Science Research Council, the M.I.T. Election Data and Science Lab, and the United States Election Assistance Commission, and has been featured in a range of scholarly and public-facing outlets. They are also the founder of the podcast What Voting Means to Me, which features interviews with people from different walks of life about their experiences living in a democracy, and conversations with scholars and election officials about what can be done to improve the health of American democracy.

Phil Keisling will also join, as Chair of the National Vote at Home Institute, and former Oregon Secretary of State, and director of the PSU Center for Public Service. The session will be moderated by Dr. Paul Manson; research assistant professor with the PSU Center for Public Service.

Food and drinks will be provided.

Header image courtesy of The New York Times

Host or Publisher Mark O. Hatfield School of Government