This November 8 program will examine threats to the American electoral system that emerged in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election and will feature a bipartisan panel of distinguished leaders, including former Pennsylvania Governor and Attorney General Tom Corbett.
The University of Pittsburgh’s Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law & Public Policy will host a special “preserving democracy” program on November 8th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the University Club in Oakland. The program will be offered in collaboration with Keep Our Republic, a non-partisan civic education organization that aims to “discover, highlight and help to prevent an array of extraordinary threats to American democracy, strengthen democratic guardrails, and educate the public before it is too late.” Its efforts are focused on three key swing states – Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Register today to attend.
In commenting on this program, former Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, who is Director of the Dick Thornburgh Forum, said, “The timing of this program, coming one day after the 2023 off-year election and one year before the 2024 presidential election, was deliberate. The last presidential election produced an array of unanticipated attacks on the basic structure of American democracy. Some risks remain, and with only one year left to address them, we are fortunate that such respected and committed leaders have stepped forward to guide our collective efforts.”
Panelists will include Tom Corbett, who served as Pennsylvania Governor, Pennsylvania Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania and now is Executive-in-Residence at the Duquesne University Law School; Bob Cindrich, who served as a U.S. District Court Judge, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Chief Legal Counsel of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; and Amanda Green-Hawkins, who is Associate General Counsel for the United Steelworkers Union, a voting rights attorney and an Adjunct Professor at the Pitt School of Law, and who formerly served as a Member of the Allegheny County Council;
All of these panelists are members of Keep Our Republic’s Pennsylvania Advisory Group, which Governor Corbett chairs. David Thornburgh, who also is a member of that Advisory Group, will moderate the program. He is Chair of Ballot PA, a Senior Advisor to and Former CEO of the Committee of Seventy, a Professor of Practice at Temple University and an Adjunct Professor at Franklin and Marshall College.
This lecture is co-sponsored by Pitt Law, the David C. Frederick Honors College, and Pitt Cyber.
The Preserving Democracy series is intended to help both policymakers and interested citizens, whatever their positions or political leanings, to better understand the important governance issues that seem to be arising all too frequently. For more information about the Preserving Democracy series, be sure to follow us on the Institute of Politics YouTube page.
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The Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law & Public Policy provides a unique opportunity to foster public education and civic action on important public policy issues, building on the late Governor Dick Thornburgh’s legacy by creating a framework for advancing his vision of effective and principled governance.
The Institute of Politics delivers timely information about the major policy issues affecting our region to elected officials, community leaders, and the public that they serve. Providing a nonpartisan forum where knowledge and diverse viewpoints are shared, synthesized, and applied, the Institute promotes the quality of life and economic vitality of western Pennsylvania.
