Sept. 24: Rod Bohannan and Amos Brown on “The Right to Vote and American Constitutional Democracy”

Part of "My Daily Constitution," this Constitution Cafe will examine why you can't be sure whether you will be able to vote, and whether your vote will even count if you cast it.

When: Sunday September 24, 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Where: Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 414 West Vermont Street, Indianapolis 46202 (317) 634-7002

For decades Rod Bohannan (Indiana Legal Services) and Amos Brown (WTLC-AM Radio) have been lions in defense of the poor and unrepresented in Indianapolis. Who better to lead a discussion of whether Indiana and the rest of the country progressing is progressing in making voting more accessible and more fair? This concluding discussion of the "My Daily Constitution" series will examine the history of voting in Indiana, advances, setbacks, and will ask what can be done about this fundamental practice of our democracy.

About the venue: Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is the oldest African-American Church in Indianapolis. Founded in 1836 by a group of African-American Methodists, it was served by circuit ministers until the 1850s. In the later 1860s, the church adopted the name Bethel AME and built its current structure on West Vermont Street. Bethel AME was a stopover on the Underground Railroad and was the location for the founding of the State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs and the Indianapolis Chapter of the NAACP.

Before the event, you might want to read up a bit on the tensions engendered by the recent debate over the Voting Rights Act. Check out articles from the Boston Globe, and from the American Prospect. We have seen these problems at home with controversies over the sorts of identification needed to vote (which raises the touchy question of who might not possess those sorts of ID); and the ways i which voter rolls are being purged. For those who wish to go deeper in elector law, you can find out about everything happening around the country at http://electionlawblog.org/.

If you like this event, you should also attend the discussions of rights for non-citizens and gay persons. You should also discuss the changing notion of American identity.

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