Sidore Lecture Series at PSU presents Erin O'Brien speaking on "Voting Laws Are Racist" (497 w/1 col ErinOBrien)

PLYMOUTH — The Saul O Sidore Lecture Series at Plymouth State University will present Erin O'Brien speaking on "Voting Laws Are Racist" at 7 p.m. Monday, November 17, in the Smith Recital Hall at the Silver Center for the Arts on Main Street in Plymouth. O'Brien is chair and associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

O'Brien's interests focus on the politics of poverty and social welfare policy, voting access policymaking in the United States, and gender in political participation/representation. Her work employs a variety of methods and approaches to social science in order to examine the connections among social policy, political thought and action, inequality and patterns of stratification associated with social groups.

Regarding the lecture O'Brien explains, "Curtailing early voting. Felony disenfranchisement. Voter ID laws. Eliminating same-day voter registration. For the political right, these are necessary steps to eliminate voter fraud and protect electoral legitimacy. For the political left, these measures are flagrant attempts to keep their core constituencies from the polls. This talk empirically adjudicates between these views while locating the state-level consideration and adoption of restrictive voter access policies in the larger electoral context of the Supreme Court's recent decisions on campaign finance. We will assess the lessons for democratic responsiveness and differential policy messages sent by this latest round of ballot access legislation."

O'Brien's research appears in top peer-reviewed journals including American Journal of Political Science, Perspectives on Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Women & Politics and Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. She is also author of two books: "The Politics of Identity: Solidarity Building among America's Working Poor" and "Diversity in Contemporary American Politics and Government."

The theme for this year's Sidore Lecture Series is "The State of Democracy." The series' premise is that Americans consider our political system to be the premier model of democracy, and that we like to think that others around the world wish to emulate us. However, the democratic nature of our institutions cannot be taken for granted – they need to be examined and reexamined time and time again. Headlines in the news regarding growing inequality, money in politics, changes in voter registration laws, government surveillance and setbacks of democratic movements in various parts of the world suggest that now is a good time for reflecting on the state of democracy in the United States and elsewhere.

The next lecture in the series will be February 5, 2015, when Boston College Professor Kay Schlozman speaks on "Unequal Political Voice and the Broken Promise of American Democracy."

Named for humanitarian and New Hampshire businessman Saul O Sidore, the Sidore Lecture Series was established in 1979 by PSU and the Sidore Memorial Foundation. The series brings a variety of speakers to campus to address critical issues and events in politics, society and culture – topics that reflect Sidore's interests.

All Sidore Lectures are free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. A reception follows each lecture. Free tickets are available at the Silver Center Box Office, (603) 535-2787 or (800) 779-3869.