UC Law hosted forum discussing election security, American democracy and civility
A national lawyers group partnered with the University of Cincinnati College of Law to host a Sept. 18 event to highlight the importance of election security and the need to protect American democracy.
The American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy brought a host of speakers to UC Law as part of a country-wide listening tour. Former Homeland Security Security Jeh Johnson was the keynote speaker for the event. Johnson served under the Obama Administration from 2013-2017.
“Overheated rhetoric makes previously unacceptable behavior acceptable,” Johnson told UC law students, faculty and staff who gathered for the address.
“Political rhetoric in our country is frankly out of control,” he adds. “This election will be very close. The winner of the election in our country for president and vice president are not those who win the popular vote. Winners can lose and losers can win because of the electoral college.”
Voters in five or six swing states will likely determine the presidency. More than 160 million votes may be cast, but perhaps only 100,000 in these critical states will determine who will be president, says Johnson.
WLWT Channel 5 covered the day’s events while WVXU also aired a segment with Johnson.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson speaks with WLWT Channel 5 at UC Law. Photo provided.
The ABA Task Force has been convening listening tours in states across the nation, after the outcome of the 2020 election was questioned by some Americans.
Johnson warned that polls are showing younger Americans may be losing faith in the nation’s electoral system. He co-chairs the task force along with retired federal judge Michael Luttig, a noted conservative.
“Young Americans in particular are questioning, ‘why democracy, and why not try some other form of government?”
Johnson says Americans are taking the tenants of democracy enjoyed for granted.
“Democracy is the freedom of speech and freedom of dissent,” says Johnson. “In an autocracy these freedoms are suppressed and chilled.”
Johnson said the task force is developing a set of long term recommendations to strengthen democracy by encouraging good political behavior among elected leaders and discouraging highly partisan bad behavior by candidates.
He and other members of the task force have also been traveling the country encouraging law students, professors and others connected to the legal profession to get involved in promoting democracy.
Learn more about the ABA Task Force for American Democracy online.
Featured top image of Jeh Johnson addressing UC Law students, faculty and staff. Photo provided.
Latest UC News
- From scholarships to scalpelsIn her fourth year at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Kamala Nelson is on the brink of realizing her dream of becoming a surgeon. But her path to this point has been anything but ordinary. It’s been a journey marked by rigorous academic challenges, a passion for helping underserved communities and — perhaps most crucially — the financial support of scholarships that made it all possible.
- UC grad fights for housing equality in CincinnatiLaTonya Springs has been around Cincinnati for a long time. A 2015 University of Cincinnati graduate, Springs has spent her time in and around Cincinnati, connecting with the people and learning about their lives and struggles, all with the hope of helping them fight for better conditions in the area. After starting her education, she was working full-time, which left her in a situation where finishing college didn’t make a lot of sense. However, once UC started a new program called Comeback Bearcat, Springs was able to come back and finish her undergraduate degree in communication, offered through the College of Arts and Sciences.
- Nominations open for All-University Faculty AwardsThe final nomination deadline for this year’s All-University Faculty Awards is Wednesday, November 20, 2024. In all, 12 different awards are offered through our 2024-25 All-University Faculty Awards competition.
- The multiple ways climate change threatens to make migraines worseThe University of Cincinnati's Vince Martin, MD, was featured in a Wired article discussing how climate change could worsen migraines.
- UC celebrates National Postdoc Appreciation WeekThe University of Cincinnati has a long list of events lined up to honor its postdoctoral fellows as colleges across the country celebrate National Postdoc Appreciation Week.
- UC students study political violence in AmericaUC Assistant Professor Michael Loadenthal and his students have created a national database on felony criminal convictions related to political violence in the United States.
