Offering insights on American democracy, our speaker Lorelei Moosbrugger will discuss how the two-party system has empowered political extremes, fostered incentives for tribalism, and prevented the majority of more moderate voters from holding their party(s) accountable at the polls.

To help foster change, Moosbrugger – a political science lecturer at UCSB – lends her expertise to several organizations working to reform our elections, serving on the Boards of Directors of Californians for Electoral Reform and ProRep Coalition, and on the Advisory Board of Rank the Vote. She teaches courses on Comparative Government, Environmental Politics and Globalization. Her research focuses on the quality of governance in advanced democracies; specifically on how electoral institutions affect government responsiveness to majority preferences for public goods when they conflict with the demands of powerful interest groups.

Audience Q and A will follow. The library will close promptly at 5:00 p.m.