Building on the success of its first two public hearings (held March 26th at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia and April 12th at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California) the National Commission on Federal Election Reform will hold its third public hearing, with the theme "What Does the Law Require?" at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, May 24th, 2001.

At this hearing, the Commissioners will hear from a number of expert witnesses who will provide their perspectives on the best options for federal election reform, focusing on the legal issues surrounding proposed reforms and their implementation. The hearing will be broadcast live on the world wide web at http://www.reformelections.org beginning at 10:00 a.m., Central Standard Time.

President Gerald Ford will preside as chairman at the fourth and final public hearing of the Commission, where the theme will be �The American and International Experience.� This hearing will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 5th, 2001, at the Ford Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Schedule:

Panel 1: Legal Issues and Administrative Perspectives (10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m, CST) (10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.)

Sharon Priest, Arkansas Secretary of State
Lance Ward, Secretary, Oklahoma State Election Board
Henry Cuellar, Texas Secretary of State
Carolyn Jefferson Jenkins, League of Women Voters

Panel 2: Constitutional and Federal Statutory Requirements (11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)

Joseph Rich, Department of Justice - Voting Rights Division
Scott Harshbarger, Common Cause
Pamela Karlan , Stanford University
Cleta Deatherage, Mitchell Sullivan & Mitchell

Panel 3: Civil Rights (1:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

Hilary Shelton, NAACP
James Gashel, National Federation of the Blind
Kenneth Huff, National Board Member, AARP
Rodolfo de la Garza, University of Texas

Panel 4: Perspectives of Political Parties (2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

Jack Oliver, Republican National Committee (invited)
Maria Echaveste, Democratic National Committee
Hendrik Hertzberg, Center for Voting and Democracy
Norman Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute

To learn about the mission, scope and work of the Commission, find out more about the Commission�s members, watch a hearing, or to read the transcripts, please visit our website: http://www.reformelections.org.

The hearing, located at the Atrium on the eighth floor of the LBJ Library, is open to the public. Press accreditation and badging will begin at 9 a.m. Doors open to the public at 9:30 a.m. Media are asked to pre-register via e-mail to Lisa-Joy Zgorski at [email protected] or by faxing at 202/483-9430 by Tuesday, May 22.

For further information please contact Lisa-Joy Zgorski of The Century Foundation at 202/745-5471 or [email protected]; and Margaret Edwards (Miller Center) 804/924-7889 [email protected].

To learn more about the Miller Center and The Century Foundation, visit their websites.

http://millercenter.virginia.edu
http://www.tcf.org

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