Galloway, N.J. — Richard L. Hasen, an internationally recognized expert in election law, will be the keynote speaker for Stockton University’s 18th annual Constitution Day program at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 24, in the Campus Center Event Room.

Hasen is the Gary T. Schwartz Endowed Chair in Law, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at the UCLA School of Law.  Hasen also writes the Election Law blog, which tracks current developments in voting rights and access around the country. His most recent book, “A Real Right to Vote: How a Constitutional Amendment Can Safeguard American Democracy,” was published by Princeton University Press in February.  

The keynote address — titled “A Real Right to Vote” — will delve into the U.S. Constitution and the glaring absence of an “affirmative right to vote.” According to Hasen, this lack of affirmation leaves American democracy vulnerable and negatively impacts every citizen, as demonstrated by some being barred from participating in the election process.  

“Here’s a riddle: what do a college student, an Army Sergeant, women, Native Americans, people from American Samoa who moved to Utah, African-Americans living in Alabama and bachelor stockbrokers have in common? They all have been denied their right to vote, and most have gone to the Supreme Court to complain about it — and most of them lost,” Hasen said for the Princeton University Press. “The Constitution has a big problem: it doesn’t protect anyone’s right to vote, and we need to fix it.” 

On Sept. 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the United States Constitution. Stockton began celebrating this important occasion in 2006 as a result of a new federal law designating Sept. 17 as Constitution Day. The law requires public schools, universities and governmental entities to offer educational programs to promote a better understanding of our Constitution.  

The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy sponsors the annual event, along with the American Democracy Project (ADP) at Stockton, the Stockton University Foundation, the Office of Development and Alumni Relations and the Office of the Provost.