Civil Discourse

Penn Arts & Sciences research and teaching on the 2020 election and its aftermath.

Recent Coverage

What Happened in the US Elections?

Source: CASI

The party of Lincoln? GOP’s future after the 2020 election

As part of the Andrea Mitchell Center’s Race and Politics series, political scientist Rogers Smith spoke with former GOP communications director Tara Setmayer about the election’s impact on the identity of the Republican Party.

Source: PENN TODAY

Trump's gains in North Philly show Latina voters are not a 'gimme' for Democrats

Source: WHYY

Making sense of the election

Penn political scientists helped a virtual audience process polling, voter turnout, litigation, and a chaotic presidential election.

Source: PENN TODAY

Political Scientists Talk Politics: Making Sense of the 2020 Election

In this post-election event, Political Science faculty discussed different aspects of the 2020 Election, including voter turnout, polling, the Latinx vote, and constitutional implications. Co-sponsored by the Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society. Watch video here.

Source: PENN ARTS & SCIENCES

You Voted. But Did it Really Matter?

In a post-election conversation, historian Mary Frances Berry addressed policy issues and Republican discontent.

Source: PENN TODAY

Election 2020: What's Next?

Two days after the election, the School of Arts & Sciences hosted a timely conversation about what comes next. Political theorist and Director of the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy Jeffrey Green moderated a discussion with Rogers Smith, constitutional scholar and Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science. Watch video here.

Source: PENN ARTS & SCIENCES 

After a contentious and highly polarized election, what comes next?

Constitutional scholar Rogers Smith shared his thoughts on how the election has gone so far, what might come next, and the challenges of addressing political polarization in America both now and in the future.

Source: PENN TODAY

An election night like no other

Undergraduates in the Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies worked at NBC helping support its Decision Desk

Source: PENN TODAY

Election night 2020: What to Expect

Penn professors, including John Lapinski and Rogers Smith of Political Science, set expectations for election night returns and weigh challenges that may lay in wait.

Source: PENN TODAY
October 28, 2020

Whose Citizen Are You?

Daniel Hopkins on whether the responses to COVID-19 will bring attention back to local government.
Source: OMNIA
October 22, 2020

Protests matter, and here’s why (Video)

Political Sciences’ Daniel Gillion discusses how demonstrations affect elected officials, shape policy, increase engagement, and motivate voter turnout.
Source: Penn Today
October 21, 2020

Presidential Rhetoric and Civic Participation

Michael Jones-Correa, President’s Distinguished Professor of Political Science, discusses his book Holding Fast: Resilience and Civic Engagement Among Latino Immigrants
Source: OMNIA
October 19, 2020

Election 2020: What’s at Stake? (Video)

Political Science’s Rogers Smith and Nancy Cordes, C’95, in a special pre-election conversation
October 13, 2020

Presidential health and contested elections

Political Scientist Rogers Smith gives some background on why the 25th Amendment was established, who can invoke it, and what happens if an election’s results are contested by a sitting president.
Source: Penn Today
October 8, 2020

Takeaways from the vice presidential debate

Historian Barbara D. Savage shared her thoughts on the first vice presidential debate in history featuring a Black woman.
Source: Penn Today