As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, Stanford Continuing Studies is bringing together scholars from across the university to take stock of American democracy.

Stanford Law’s Nate Persily, Pamela Karlan, and Jonathan Gienapp are among the featured faculty for “Reimagining ...Read moreDemocracy,” a free six-week series open to the public and hosted by Stanford Dean Debra Satz and Professor Larry Diamond.

Speakers will tackle federalism, elections, voting rights, money in politics, public service, and what the 2026 midterms may tell us about the state of American democracy.

Gienapp kicks off the series Oct. 7 with a look at federalism from 1776 to 2026. Persily joins the Oct. 28 conversation on voting rights and electoral reform, and Karlan takes part Nov. 4 in a post-midterm discussion of what the early results reveal about the electorate and democratic institutions.

Learn more and register here: https://brnw.ch/21x5Y0x

When can states change election rules, and who has the authority to do so? These questions are taking center stage in courtrooms across America as the 2026 elections unfold. Stanford Legal's latest episode tackles the complex legal landscape surrounding voting rights and election ...Read moreadministration.

Professor Pam Karlan talks with Professor Nate Persily, JD '98, one of the nation's foremost election law scholars, for an in-depth discussion on redistricting battles, mail voting controversies, and the federal-state power struggle over election rules. From Missouri's mid-cycle redistricting plan to Postal Service policy changes affecting mail ballots, Persily provides expert analysis on how these disputes could shape American democracy.

Listen to the episode: https://law.stanford.edu/stanford-legal/u-s-elections-under-pressure-from-white-house/

How did communities decide who was mentally competent to vote in 19th-century America?

On Sept. 28, Stanford Law School Professor Rabia Belt will explore this question at Berkeley Law, as part of a speaker series hosted by the Berkeley Law Center for the Study of Law & Society.
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Her talk, “Mental Incompetence on the Ground: Community Construction of Disability in Democracy,” examines how neighbors, relatives and election officials shaped definitions of disability and access to the ballot.

Drawing from her book in progress, Belt will consider how local knowledge and social relationships influenced the everyday construction of American democracy.

Monday, Sept. 28, 2026 | 12:15-2 p.m.
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CSLS Speaker Series: “Mental Incompetence on the Ground: Community Construction of Disability in Democracy”

Featuring Rabia Belt, Professor of Law and Professor of History (by courtesy), Stanford Law School Abstract: Who was mentally competent to vote?...

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