Restoring confidence in our democracy

Democracy has been increasingly contested around the world. A majority of Americans are not satisfied with how democratic systems in the United States are functioning. In a climate of deep partisan antagonism and widespread misinformation, confidence in our elections has been declining for a myriad of reasons. The real-world implications of this moment cannot be overstated.

Join us for a conversation hosted at the Ford School by The Carter Center and the Gerald R. Ford Foundation that tackles how to buttress voter confidence in our democracy. Former Michigan U.S. Representatives Andy Levin (D-MI) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Amb (ret) Susan D. Page, Michigan Law and Ford School professor from practice and Carter Center trustee, will explore the bipartisan challenge of restoring faith in our democratic systems and highlight ways individuals can be part of the solution as we work together to uphold the standards of our democracy.

This event is hosted at the University of Michigan as a partnership between The Carter Center and the Gerald R. Ford Foundation. Political rivals and close collaborators, Presidents Carter and Ford held a shared understanding of the sanctity of our democratic systems. Since its founding in 1982, The Carter Center has focused its efforts outside the United States. Drawing from this expertise, the organization has shifted attention to the challenges faced in the United States. The Center’s Democracy Program supports U.S. elections by bolstering democratic norms and values, increasing trust and understanding of the electoral process, and responding to the challenges posed by mis-, dis- and mal-information. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation has long partnered with the Ford School on educational programming that serves the public interest. The Foundation advances the principle that public order requires the cultivation of virtue within both the citizenry and political leaders. Its emphasis on civic education, civility, personal and political integrity, service to community and nation, political cooperation and compromise, and courage reflects the life and career of President Ford.

How to attend

This event will be held at the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy's Weill Hall (735 S. State St., Ann Arbor) in the Annenberg Auditorium, and also available via livestream on this page. 

Sponsors

This event is hosted at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in partnership with The Carter Center and the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, with support from U-M Democracy & Debate and the U-M Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), and our media partners at Detroit Public Television (DPTV). 

With generous support from the Tuft Family Foundation.

Faculty Expert

Susan D. Page

Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and Professor from Practice at the University of Michigan's Law School. Director; Weiser Diplomacy Center

Page applies her vast foreign policy experience to the Weiser Diplomacy Center. She has served the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations in senior roles for decades, across East, Central, and Southern Africa, and in Haiti and Nepal. Page was the first U.S. ambassador to the Republic of South Sudan and served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in Haiti.

• Ford Foundation
• Carter Center
• Andy Levin
• Peter Meijer
• Democracy and Debate
• democracy
• election
• January 6
• misinformation
• Election integrity
• Susan Page
• Democratic systems
• bipartisanship