Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture Series: The Glass Ballot Box and Political Transparency, 1856/2020

Ellery Foutch, Program in American Studies, will give a talk as part of the 2020-21 Carol Rifelj Faculty Lecture Series.

In 1856, the United States was embroiled in conflicts that might seem familiar to today’s audiences: intense wealth disparity, anti-immigrant sentiment, widespread corruption scandals, and tensions between politicians and the media. Concerns about corruption and voter fraud came to a head when San Francisco officials discovered a so-called “stuffer’s ballot-box,” outfitted with a false bottom and side panel to conceal pre-marked ballots for a desired candidate, concrete evidence of election rigging. In response to this news about election tampering, New Yorker Samuel Jollie proposed a novel solution: a ballot box made of glass.

Register in advance:
https://middlebury.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYod-ugqT0qG9aBL9KAHVERfIYbo1Rma5UO