[VIRTUAL] Misinformation and the Election in Texas: A #WhatToExpect2020 Town Hall

Join PEN America, the Texas Observer, The Dallas Morning News, and the Texas Civil Rights Project for a live town hall with trusted journalists and civic engagement experts in conversation about what voters in Texas can expect from the upcoming November election. With misinformation being a constant threat, communities across Texas are relying on local and community news organizations to receive the most up-to-date and accurate election information. Join us to meet some of the journalists and organizers doing this important work. If you plan to tweet about the event, follow us on Twitter at @penamerica and use the hashtag #WhatToExpect2020.

This virtual conversation is free and open to the public. We encourage community members to come prepared to ask journalists and election experts any questions about voting in the upcoming election in Texas.

Please confirm your registration at the Zoom link below. For more information, contact Grace Linczer, Civic Engagement Consultant, at [email protected].

REGISTER HERE

Panelists

Justin Miller covers politics and government, among other things, for the Texas Observer. He previously covered politics and policy for The American Prospect in Washington, D.C., and has also written for The Intercept, The New Republic and In These Times. 

James Barragán covers Texas politics for The Dallas Morning News. He has covered immigration, public safety and voting rights and has traveled on assignment to the U.S. Supreme Court and Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Before joining The News in 2017, he worked for the Austin American-Statesman and The Los Angeles Times.

Mimi Marziani is the President of the Texas Civil Rights Project. She has an extensive background in civil rights advocacy and nonprofit management, as well as expertise in election law. Ms. Marziani previously directed voting rights programs for multiple political campaigns and committees. In 2014, Ms. Marziani led the first coordinated, statewide voter protection program for progressive candidates and groups in Texas. Before moving to Texas, Ms. Marziani spent several years as Counsel for the Democracy Program of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, where she litigated election law cases in federal courts across the country, including before the U.S. Supreme Court. Ms. Marziani teaches “Election Law and Policy” at the University of Texas School of Law and serves on the NYU Board of Trustees. She graduated cum laude from NYU School of Law, and received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University.

moderator

Kassie Phebillo is the Curriculum & Research Coordinator for Campus Vote Project. She is a Communication Studies PhD Candidate at the University of Texas Austin, where she studies the intersection of political communication and higher education. For five years, Kassie was the Graduate Program Coordinator for TX Votes; during that time, the organization registered nearly 20,000 students to vote and led the university to receive national recognition. Kassie volunteers her time as mentor to fellow first-generation college students through the IE Pre-Graduate Internship Program at UT Austin and as a trainer for Travis County’s Volunteer Deputy Registrar Office. Prior to her PhD, Kassie worked as a journalist and a high school teacher. She has a MA in Communication, Culture & Technology from Georgetown University and a BA in Communication from Indiana Tech.

This event is part of PEN America’s #WhatToExpect2020 initiative, which we launched this fall to empower voters to understand the uniqueness of the 2020 election, inoculate the public from the threats of disinformation, and build awareness of the electoral process.