The Missing Constitutional Right

The right to vote is one of the foundations of democracy, yet in the United States, it has never truly been available to all. Generations have seen different versions of the same conflict: disenfranchised groups of people fighting for their right to cast a ballot. Today, this struggle continues, with attempts to prohibit some Americans from voting, such as those with criminal convictions, and to deter others, such as minority groups.

Author Richard Hasen argues in his new book, A Real Right to Vote, that a constitutional amendment would end the fight over the franchise. But could it be that simple? And, perhaps more importantly, is there a way to overcome the politics of voter suppression and convince both parties to enshrine this right for everyone? 

Join us on Wednesday, March 20, at 3 p.m. ET. for a live virtual event with Hasen, professor of law and political science and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA School of Law. He will be joined by moderator Wilfred Codrington, associate professor of law at Brooklyn Law School. Hasen and Codrington will discuss what it means to include an affirmative right to vote in the Constitution and what it would take to get there.

Produced in partnership with the NYU John Brademas Center

Speakers: 

• Richard L. Hasen, Author, A Real Right to Vote; Professor of Law and Political Science, Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project, UCLA School of Law
• Wilfred U. Codrington III, Associate Professor of Law and Dean’s Research Scholar, Brooklyn Law School; Brennan Center Fellow