Location
Stanford University | Bechtel Conference Center in Encina Hall (616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305)
Dates/Times (all times PDT)
· Conference: Thursday, April 13 (8:30AM - 5:00PM) – Friday, April 14 (8:30AM - 12:45)
· Optional Welcome Reception at the Sheraton Palo Alto in The Cardinal Lounge near the lobby: Wednesday, April 12, 6:00 - 8:00PM
· Dinner at MacArthur Park: Thursday, April 13, 6:30 - 9:00PM
Hotel/Welcome Reception Venue
Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel, 625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Extreme polarization between the two major parties has given us an unresponsive government and an American public that is dissatisfied and disaffected. A growing share of Americans identify as independents and say they would like to see more parties. At a time when polarization and extremism threaten our democracy, some reformers view political parties as unnecessarily divisive, and thus aim to undermine their role. However, anti-party efforts have a poor historical record. Parties are the essential institutions of modern mass democracy. They give voters meaningful choices and help political actors organize for collective action necessary to actually govern. Many experts believe we need more parties and stronger parties. How do we get there?
We invite you to join Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, the Center for Ballot Freedom, New America, Protect Democracy, and Lyceum Labs for a 2-day in-person conference on political party reform and multiparty politics. The conference will bring together a select group of academics and practitioners to explore the value of political parties in democracy, the challenges associated with governing in a two-party system, and possible strategies for reform, focusing on the revival and re-legalization of fusion voting. The goals will be to expand scholarship and conversation about these topics and to build a community of thought leaders across the ideological spectrum.
The conference will be held all day Thursday, April 13 and the morning of Friday, April 14. We will host an optional welcome reception on Wednesday evening, April 12, at the Sheraton Palo Alto hotel for attendees who will be in the Stanford area the night before. We will reimburse all eligible travel costs. The conference is in-person only.
This invitation is not transferable. If you registered but are no longer able to attend, please contact Maresa Strano at strano@newamerica.org immediately.
Chair: Jennifer Dresden | Policy Advocate, Protect Democracy
Didi Kuo | Associate Director, Research at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University | Memo: “The Role of Political Parties as Essential Democratic Institutions”
Daniel Stid | Executive Director, Lyceum Labs | Memo: “The American Party System and the Problem of Union, Revisited”
Chair: Lilliana Mason | Associate Professor of Political Science, SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University
Susan Scarrow | Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Houston | Memo: “Party Systems and Political Participation: (When) Does Having More Choices Produce Higher Voter Turnout?”
Will Horne | Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Executive Approval Project, Georgia State University | Memo: “Why More Parties Leads to Better Governance”
Oscar Pocasangre | Senior Data Analyst, Political Reform Program, New America | Memo: “Fusion Voting in New York and Connecticut: An Analysis of Congressional Races from 1976-2022”
Chair: Micah Sifry | Consultant, Center for Ballot Freedom; Author, Spoiling For a Fight: Third-Party Politics in America
Dan Cantor | Co-Founder, Working Families Party
Lisa Disch | Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan | Memo: “What Fusion Politics Could Mean for Third Political Parties Today”
Chair: Richard Pildes | Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law, New York University School of Law
Tabatha Abu El-Haj | Professor of Law, Drexel University, Kline School of Law | Memo: “Revisiting Timmons v. Twin Cities Area New Party from an Associational Party Perspective”
Nate Ela | Assistant Professor of Political Science and Law, University of Cincinnati | Memo: “State Courts and the Path to Multiparty Democracy in America”
Bob Williams | Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers School of Law | Memo: “State Constitutional Law in Post-Rucho And -Dobbs America”
Joel Rogers | Noam Chomsky Professor of Law, Public Affairs, and Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison | Memo: “If Fusion is Relegalized, How Should We Implement It?” (co-authored by Dan Cantor and Richard Winger)
Chair: Dave Palmer | Director, Center for Ballot Freedom
Lee Drutman and Joel Rogers | Memo: “Why Fusion is the Best Path to Proportional Representation”
Andy Craig | Director of Election Policy, Rainey Center | Memo: “Fusion, the Right, and the GOP”
Julia Azari | Professor of Political Science, Marquette University | Memo: “Do Americans Hate Political Parties?” (co-authored by Jennifer Wendling)
We have made reservations in our room block for everyone who indicated on the RSVP form that they need a hotel room. We are staying at: Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel, 625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
You will need to present an ID and credit card for incidental charges at check-in. The cost of the room will be billed to our master account and paid directly, unless you indicated on your RSVP form that you would not be seeking reimbursement for the trip, in which case you will be charged the discounted room block rate.
TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN HOTEL AND CONFERENCE VENUE
The easiest way to go between the Sheraton and Stanford would be to use the Marguerite Shuttle. It picks up just outside the hotel and drops off at several locations around Stanford. You will need to get on the Y Line which would drop you off at either of the two below stops.
(#306) On Campus Drive @ Koret Plaza
(#307) On Campus Drive @ Knight Management Center
Below are some links you can use to learn more information about the Marguerite Y Line. Here’s a Live Map, Schedule, and Route Map.
In addition, here is a map to direct you from the Marguerite Shuttle drop off locations to our building Encina Hall. Navigating campus is never easy. Please give yourself time/grace when arriving.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email Maresa Strano (strano@newamerica.org) or Lizbeth Lucero (lucero@newamerica.org).
