WASHINGTON – On the heels of the presidential inauguration and the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6, political strategist Donna Brazile was joined by Lt. Govs. Garlin Gilchrist II and Mandela Barnes for a virtual discussion as part of the 2020-2021 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy Lecture Series. The discussion theme was “Democracy at the Crossroads” and focused on voting rights, voter suppression and how the U.S. can build its democracy.

“The right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy and today, we’re at a crossroads,” said Brazile. “What will it take to rebuild our democracy? How will we restore citizens’ trust in their government?”

Barnes, who is the first African-American to hold the office of lieutenant governor in his home state of Wisconsin, talked about the unique challenges facing his constituents.

“People just didn’t feel like the state had their best interest in mind,” he said. “The way we work to rebuild that is by actually spending time in the communities that elected us. Often the people we elect have zero experience in the community they represent.”

Barnes talked about the need to return the government to the people through participation in democracy. This means engaging constituents in an ongoing way and not just during the election cycle.

For Gilchrist, who serves in the state of Michigan, the COVID-19 pandemic is front and center. He noted the disproportionate number of African-Americans who died in his state due to COVID-19 and how his leadership in the state is helping to alleviate the trend.

“Black folks make up 13 percent of the population, but we accounted for 41 percent of the population of people who died in the state,” said Gilchrist. “Now, we represent less than 10 percent of the [COVDI-19] death[s]. That’s because we had a communications strategy, we gave out masks. We were responsive to the needs of our constituents.”

Claims of voter fraud and the attack on voting rights were also up for discussion. Both Barnes and Gilchrist noted that voter fraud was essentially nonexistent in their states, with Barnes noting only one instance found after a systematic review of ballots cast in Wisconsin and Gilchrist comparing the likelihood of voter fraud to that of being struck by lightning. Gilchrist noted the need for Congress to pass H.R.1. known as the “For the People Act.” Nigel Johnson, president of the College Democrats at Howard University followed up to this point by asking what is likely to happen if Congress doesn’t pass H.R.1.

“States will unfortunately be left at the whim of their state legislatures,” said Gilchrist. “And frankly, way too many of them are run by Republicans. I don’t think we’re going to be able to put this vote by mail toothpaste back in the tube. People like it, they’ve seen that it’s convenient, so we need to continue to build on that.”

The 2020-2021 Gwendolyn S. and Colbert I. King Endowed Chair in Public Policy Lecture Series will take place monthly. Check the Howard Newsroom for updates.

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.