Tenth Annual Election Law Symposium on March 17 to Focus on Data Accuracy and Voting in the 2016 Election

The Election Law Society and the Election Law Program at William & Mary Law School announce the Tenth Annual Election Law Symposium to take place on Thursday, March 17. Featuring prominent election attorneys, policy analysts, and a current EAC Commissioner, the symposium addresses the topic Fixing the Lists: Data Accuracy and Voting in the 2016 Election. The event is free and open to the public.

Panelists scheduled to participate include David Becker, Director of Election Initiatives at the Pew Charitable Trusts; Commissioner Matthew Masterson of the Election Assistance Commission; Donald Palmer, Senior Adviser on Election Administration at the Bipartisan Policy Center and former chief elections administrator in Virginia and Florida; and Allegra Chapman, Director of Voting and Elections at Common Cause. Elizabeth Howard, Deputy Commissioner for the Virginia Department of Elections and a William & Mary Law School alumna, will moderate.

flyer“The United States is the world’s oldest representative democracy, yet even amidst massive technological advances, we lack a single, accurate list of voters who comprise our electorate,” explained Election Law Society Symposium Co-Chair Brandon Orewyler, J.D. '18.  “The symposium will ask the question of the proper role of citizens in policing the lists, the role of technology in enhancing voter list accuracy, and this country’s surprising struggles with cross-state voter data sharing,” Orewyler elaborated.

The event is set for March 17 at 3:30 PM at William & Mary Law School in Room 120 with a reception to follow at 5 PM. This annual event is possible with generous assistance from the National Center for State Courts, the Election Law Program, and the Institute of Bill of Rights Law at William & Mary Law School.

Created in 2005 as a joint venture of the National Center for State Courts and the Law School, the Election Law Program seeks to provide practical assistance to state court judges in the United States who are called upon to resolve difficult election law disputes (see www.electionlawissues.org). The Election Law Society is a student organization created to foster discussion and educate students about this rapidly expanding and extremely important area of legal practice.

About William & Mary Law School

Thomas Jefferson founded William & Mary Law School in 1779 to train leaders for the new nation. Now in its third century, America's oldest law school continues its historic mission of educating citizen lawyers who are prepared both to lead and to serve.