Mandatory Voting: Patriotic or Undemocratic?

Who: Ralph Nader; Center for Study of Responsive Law

When: June 27, 2011 at 11:30 a.m.

What: Mandatory voting debate

Where: 1530 P St NW, Washington DC 20005 – Carnegie Institution of Science

(Washington, D.C.) – On Monday, June 27, Ralph Nader and the Center for Study of Responsive Law will host a public debate on the pros and cons of mandatory voting.

Norman Ornstein will be arguing for mandatory voting. Norman Ornstein is a long-time scholar of Congress and politics. He writes a weekly column for Roll Call and is an election analyst for CBS News. He serves as co-director of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project and participates in AEI’s Election Watch series.

Fred Smith will be arguing against mandatory voting. Smith is the founder and president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free market public policy group and international NGO in Washington, DC. He addresses complex policy issues ranging from the environment to corporate governance and is a frequent guest on national TV and radio programs, as well as a prolific writer.

Mark Green will be the moderator. Green has been a public interest lawyer, an elected public official, author, and TV/radio commentator. An honors graduate of both Cornell University and Harvard Law School, he is the author or editor of 22 books, including “Losing our Democracy.”