A UW-Madison political scientist and elections expert will examine the Electoral College next Wednesday (March 15) in a talk on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus.
Barry Burden, director of UW-Madison’s Elections Research Center, will discuss whether and how well the system designed by the country’s founders represents voters. His presentation will also deal with alternatives to the Electoral College and prospects of reform.
Burden’s presentation, at 5 p.m. in Room 1415 of Centennial Hall, is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by UW-EC’s Professional Development Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Center for Constitutional Studies and the Political Science department.
Eric Kasper, associate professor of political science and director of the department’s Center for Constitutional Studies, noted the relevance of Burden’s presentation to the country’s current political landscape.
“Since the Electoral College winner has not won the popular vote in two of the last five presidential elections, this event is a timely opportunity for audience members to better understand and analyze how we choose persons for the most powerful office in the country,” he said.
Burden is the Lyons Family Chair in Electoral Politics at UW-Madison. He is an author or editor of numerous publications on American politics, especially as they relate to elections, and his teaching focuses on elections and American politics.
He is the author of Personal Roots of Representation, editor of Uncertainty in American Politics and a co-editor or co-author of two other books. Burden has published articles in such journals as the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, Public Opinion Quarterly, Legislative Studies Quarterly and Election Law Journal.