The currently unfolding legal effort to revive fusion voting in Kansas presents an opportunity for reflection on this practice and its potential significance to Kansas voters and policymakers—how might Kansas politics and governance change with a return of this once-common aspect of the electoral process, and what constitutional rights are implicated in fusion's potential relegalization?
2:00 p.m. - Welcome
2:15 p.m. - Opening Remarks
2:45 p.m. - Panel One: How Fusion Changes (and has Changed) the Political Equation
Our first panel will analyze the political and practical effects of fusion voting on elections and the policymaking process. A panel of expert political scientists and practitioners will explore fusion’s potential to change our polarized two-party system and introduce new roles for minor parties. Panelists will also discuss the impact of fusion, a once-common aspect of the electoral process, on Kansas’ political history, and how its potential return could impact Kansas’ politics and governance today.
3:45 p.m. - Break
4:00 p.m. - Panel Two: The Effort to Revive Fusion in Kansas
Our second panel will address the legal dimension of the currently unfolding effort to return fusion voting to Kansas. Panelists will discuss United Kansas, Inc. et al v. Schwab, the suit currently challenging the state’s fusion prohibition, and explore relevant aspects of Kansas’ legal landscape, including precedent on questions of political association and equal protection. Panelists will also discuss the constitutional rights implicated in state fusion prohibitions and the questions that courts must answer when considering legal challenges to them.
5:00 p.m. - Closing Remarks
5:10 p.m. - Reception with Refreshments
The Hon. Deanell Tacha
Retired United States Circuit Judge
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
David Rubenstein
Professor of Law & Director
Washburn University School of Law Robert J. Dole Center for Law & Government
Bill Kristol
Editor-at-Large
The Bulwark
Lynn Schmidt, Moderator
Columnist/Editorial Board Member
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Don Hineman
Former Majority Leader
Kansas House of Representatives
Jen Dresden
Policy Strategist
Project Democracy
Oscar Pocasangre
Senior Data Analyst
New America
Jess Wisneski
Co-Chair
New York Working Families Party
David Rubenstein, Moderator
Professor of Law & Director
Washburn University School of Law Robert J. Dole Center for Law & Government
Jack Curtis
Chairman
United Kansas Party
Nate Ela
Assistant Professor
Temple University School of Law
Micah Kubic
Executive Director
Kansas ACLU
Mark Schmitt
Political Reform Program Director
New America