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Campus events related to the upcoming presidential election continued Wednesday night with screenings of Call it Democracy, a nonpartisan documentary by Matt Kohn on the United States electoral process, at 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m. Wednesday night in the Farinon Center’s Limburg Theater. Viewing of the 71-minute film was sponsored by Lafayette Activities Forum, which provided free pizza.
On Friday, the second U.S. presidential debate will be shown at 9 p.m. in Keefe Commons. In addition, a debate moderated by Lafayette President Arthur J. Rothkopf ’55 is planned for later this month.
The debate events are sponsored by Holla Back, a coalition of students and organizations committed to organizing events and distributing accurate information related to the upcoming elections. For more information, email hollabacklafayette@yahoo.com.
Last week, Holla Back sponsored a screening of “Journey Towards Democracy: Involving Students in the Political Process,” a live webcast presented by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, featuring panelists from Democracy Matters, MoveOn, and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
Call It Democracy is a historical look at the electoral process in the United States that goes far beyond the controversy of the 2000 election and the Bush V. Gore Supreme Court ruling. The film looks into the nation’s history, touching upon other close elections such as the 1960 Kennedy V. Nixon campaign, the attempt by Segregationist candidate George Wallace to manipulate the Electoral College in 1968, and the three other elections not won by popular vote prior to the 20th century.
Additionally, the film explores the validity of the Electoral College (or lack thereof) and contemplates the future of elections in post-2000 America, 2002’s Help America Vote Act, and ramifications of electronic voting.
One of the film’s executive producers, Udy Epstein, is an Oscar-winning documentarian. His company, Seventh Arts Releasing, has picked up the film for distribution.