Robert Bradley, professor emeritus from the Department of Politics and Government, gave a talk on “Voting: Enhancing Access v. Protecting Integrity” on September 24 at the Normal Theater. The ISU Center for Civic Engagement & Service Learning sponsored the talk after the showing of the documentary Rigged, which is about voter suppression. Over 200 ISU students and community members attended the talk that focused on recent voter suppression efforts and current congressional proposals to enhance voting rights.
On September 25, Bradley presented “Is Democracy in Peril?” at the Activity and Recreation Center (ARC) in Normal. The presentation was part of ARC’s Senior Scholar Lecture Series and focused on the meaning of democracy and whether America is currently fulfilling that meaning.
On October 10, the McLean County Museum of History hosted a presentation by Bradley as part of its Lunch and Learn Series, which is co-sponsored by Illinois Wesleyan University. Bradley presented “What Insights Does the 1860 Presidential Election Provide for the 2020 Election?” Before the presentation, Bradley did an interview with WGLT that gave some highlights of the talk. The presentation focused on why the 1860 election, which Lincoln won, is generally considered a critical election, and why the upcoming 2020 election might also be considered a critical election. The talk also drew several parallels between the context of the 1860 election and that of the upcoming 2020 election.
On October 16, Bradley presented “Is America in a Constitutional Crisis?” as a special program for the ISU Senior Professionals. Speaking to a packed room, Bradley explained what a constitutional crisis is, features of the Constitution, and details of past presidential impeachment proceedings.
Former students and colleagues of Bradley’s would appreciate that he distributed copies of the U.S. Constitution at each of the presentations. He passed out more than 400 copies.
