CFP: Access to the Ballot on the Eve of the 2020 Election

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Access to the Ballot on the Eve of the 2020 Election: What Barriers Still Exist?

With the 2020 election on the horizon, the Elon Law Review invites submissions for a fall symposium exploring the past, present, and future of electoral participation on both sides of the ballot. The Elon Law Review Symposium will be held Friday, September 25, 2020, at Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, North Carolina. A reception will be held on the evening of September 24.

Considering the broad sweep of American constitutional history as an expansion of electoral participation, as reflected in the 15th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, along with accompanying federal and state legislative and judicial actions, this symposium will explore the circumstances that animate contemporary electoral dynamics and their effects on electoral participation. As the 100 th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment approaches, we celebrate the progress that has been made but also acknowledge the barriers that remain for women. Additionally, although 150 years have passed since the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified, some states are instituting new voter requirements that disproportionately affect certain demographic and socioeconomic populations.

Despite efforts to break down barriers, access to the ballot remains inequitable for some voters and candidates. Nonetheless, over the past legislative session, more states have expanded ballot access rather than restricting it. The Elon Law Review Symposium Editors are interested in articles exploring legislative, executive, judicial, and regulatory perspectives that emanate from local, state, and federal elections, as well as international results. An abstract of the scholarly paper to be presented should be submitted not later than February 28, 2020, to both of the Elon Law Review Symposium Editors Victoria Ford and Samantha Dudley at [email protected] and [email protected]. Accepted proposals will be organized into symposium panels around common themes. Final papers will be due by July 1, 2020, for both presentation at the symposium and publication in the symposium issue of the 2021 Elon Law Review.