May 2, 2006

Future of the Electoral College to be Examined in UCSB Lecture

Community Relations

A group of former members of Congress have launched a "Campaign for a National Popular Vote" to reform the Electoral College by changing election laws at the state level, rather than amend the U.S. Constitution.

UC Santa Barbara political scientist John Woolley, an expert on the U.S. presidency, will present an overview of proposed reforms to the Electoral College system and arguments presented by its staunch defenders in a UCSB Affiliates Town Forum lecture next week titled, "The Electoral College: Should the U.S. Eliminate Our ‘Antidemocratic Relic?'"

The program will be held on Thursday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall at 21 East Constance Avenue in Santa Barbara.

The cost of the lecture is $8 for UCSB Affiliates and Chancellor's Council members; $10 for others. Contact the UCSB Office of Community Relations at 893-4388 to register, as space is limited.

Woolley's research involves democracy and economic growth, the politics of monetary policy, and California environmental policy.

He has developed an extensive Web-based resource on the American Presidency at www.presidency.ucsb.edu.

Woolley is currently chair of UCSB's Department of Political Science.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.