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SUMMARY:Hands Off Our Ballots: Safeguarding The 2026 Midterms
DESCRIPTION:Democracy doesn’t defend itself—and the road to the 2026 midterms is already a battlefield. \nIn this BigTentUSA spotlight event\, legal experts Joyce Vance and Marc Elias\, moderated by Reed Galen\, broke down the growing threats to free and fair elections and what citizens can do right now to push back. The speakers warned that MAGA-aligned forces are laying the groundwork to challenge election results long before ballots are cast—through lawsuits\, state-level rule changes\, and coordinated efforts to undermine trust in the system. Elias highlighted how the courts remain a critical front line in protecting voting rights\, while Vance emphasized the broader rule-of-law stakes if election subversion tactics succeed. Both stressed that vigilance\, legal accountability\, and civic engagement are essential in the months ahead. \nThe takeaway was clear: safeguarding democracy in 2026 won’t happen automatically—it will require informed citizens\, organized communities\, and relentless defense of the rules that keep elections free and fair. \n  \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS: \nMarc Elias is the Firm Chair of Elias Law Group.  Marc has successfully argued and won four cases in the U.S. Supreme Court\, as well as dozens of cases in state supreme courts and U.S. courts of appeal. In 2020\, Marc led the historic legal effort to protect voting rights\, winning over 60 lawsuits against MAGA’s efforts to suppress the vote. Marc is the founder of Democracy Docket\, the leading platform for advocacy and information about voting rights\, elections\, redistricting and democracy. \nJoyce White Vance is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Alabama\, a legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC\, and the author of the Civil Discourse newsletter. She co-hosts the podcasts #SistersInLaw and Insider with Preet Bharara. A former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama under President Obama. Joyce lives in Alabama with her husband\, retired Judge Robert Vance Jr.\, their four kids\, a collection of pets—and she knits\, a lot. \nReed Galen is an independent political strategist\, co-founder of The Lincoln Project\, and currently serves as the President of The Union\, a nationwide coalition working to rebuild American democracy from the ground up. The Union brings together volunteers\, organizers\, and local leaders to support decent\, competent candidates at every level of government. Under Reed’s leadership\, The Union is building the infrastructure needed to show up in all 50 states and strengthen civic engagement nationwide.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/hands-off-our-ballots/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Recap_Marc-Elias_Joyce-Vance.webp
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260331T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260331T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T215941
CREATED:20260324T192641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T184135Z
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SUMMARY:On The Brink: The Iran War Explained
DESCRIPTION:On Tuesday\, March 31\, Congressman and Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Jim Himes (CT-4) and national security expert Miles Taylor unpacked the Iran conflict\, explaining how geopolitical tensions\, media narratives\, and domestic politics are intersecting in ways that could increase the risk of escalation. Moderated by Charlie Sykes\, author of the To The Contrary newsletter and podcast\, speakers emphasized that the human\, economic\, and global consequences of conflict are often treated too abstractly\, underscoring the importance of staying informed and engaged. \nThe discussion also focused on practical ways individuals can take action: diversifying news sources\, contacting elected officials to end U.S involvement in the war with Iran\, backing candidates committed to democratic norms in competitive races\, and engaging in informed conversations within their communities. \nThe takeaway was straightforward: understanding the stakes is important\, but meaningful change depends on sustained engagement and informed action. \n  \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS: \nJim Himes was elected to Congress in 2008 and has since built a record delivering results for Connecticut families. He has served in key roles including Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee and as a senior member of the Financial Services Committee\, focusing on economic growth\, national security\, and bipartisan solutions. He previously chaired the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth and has a long history of local service\, including with the Greenwich Housing Authority and other community organizations. \nMiles Taylor is a national security expert who works in Washington\, DC as Founder of DEFIANCE.org. Taylor previously served as chief of staff at the US Department of Homeland Security\, where he published a bombshell “Anonymous” essay in The New York Times\, blowing the whistle on presidential misconduct. He later published the #1 national bestseller A Warning\, revealed himself to be the author\, and launched a campaign of ex-officials to oppose Donald Trump’s reelection. Taylor is also the author of The New York Times best-selling book Blowback and the host of the iHeartRadio podcast “The Whistleblowers.” \nCharlie Sykes is the author of the Substack newsletter\, “To the Contrary\,” and contributes to The Atlantic and MSNBC. His most recent book\, How the Right Lost Its Mind\, published by St. Martin’s Press\, was released in October 2017. \nSykes has written for The New York Times\, The Atlantic\, The Weekly Standard\, The Washington Post\, Commentary\, The Wall Street Journal\, Politico\, The Los Angeles Times\, Newsweek\, Time.com\, USA Today\, National Review\, The New York Review of Books\, the New York Daily News\, and other national publications.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/iran-war-explained/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Recap_Jim-Himes_Miles-Taylor_Charlie-Sykes-1.webp
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