Class Is In: A Voting Rights/Election Law Substack Course
Adding a Paid Subscription Track to My Newsletter
Friends,
Since I started this newsletter, I’ve kept it free, because I haven’t wanted to ask people to pay to learn how to fight for democracy. It’s also why I set the price of my books low.
But after receiving a good deal of requests, I have decided to add an extra feature that I think will be interesting and exciting—and which I’ll offer as an enhanced/paid element of this newsletter.
Every year, I teach an election law and voting rights course at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Both the history and the law from my course anchor so much of what I explain every day in my books, whiteboards and newsletters. Topics such as the original Constitution and the founding vision of democracy and voting, the Guarantee Clause, The Civil War amendments and the descent into Jim Crow, the Voting Rights Act—its heyday and its decline—essentially ground all that I talk about now. I delve into everything from Bush v. Gore, to gerrymandering, to poll taxes and literacy tests. Later, Shelby County, Moore v. Harper, and state-level districting battles like the current one in Ohio. And so much more. Again, these essential topics are the source materials that shape the thinking about democracy I share on a daily basis.
Well, my course begins next week.
So as I do the work to prepare for and teach it, for those who are interested, I wanted to throw out the idea of offering a variant of this course via Substack. I will suggest basic readings and cases each week, provide PowerPoint slides and added whiteboards, and distribute videos pulling from my in-class presentations.
In fact, my first whiteboard came out of materials I had just shared in class. It went viral.
And as I do with my whiteboards and newsletters, I’ll do it in a way that you don’t need a law degree nor prior legal study to learn the materials.
I will also offer an occasional office hours to discuss key topics and answer questions.
Needless to say, this would be a good deal more work than my standard newsletters. So this would be an enhanced element of my newsletter for paid subscribers.
Many have already pledged to a paid subscription—which I’ve never acted upon—so you’re already on board. Anyone else who subscribes at either the minimum monthly or annual amount will have access to this course.
If you are interested, pledge to subscribe here:
My goal is that anyone who subscribes to the course will gain an in-depth legal and historic understanding of the ongoing challenges we are enduring when it comes to American democracy and voting rights. And future voting rights cases and debates will now fit within the broader context of our centuries-long struggle over democracy in America.
If this is something you want to do, sign up….and if enough people do so, I’ll move forward.
Class starts next week! Please sign on this week so I have a sense of the interest:
Thank you.
David
David, this is such a wonderful idea! I'm glad you're doing this! I hope you have tremendous response to this offering -- I know I'm sharing news of this as widely as I can. Right now I'm figuring out my own time commitments to determine if I have time & brain space to fit this in, and if yes, I'll be subscribing as well, because this is such a terrific opportunity. Thanks so much for this--and I wish more members of our civics/democracy-minded legal community would do similar things in their own areas of expertise.
This is very much appreciated! Not much more important than learning about and fighting for our democracy!