Judy Woodruff to discuss NC efforts to improve elections, reduce polarization with local experts
Published 12:00 am Thursday, January 30, 2025
Catawba College News Service
SALISBURY — The Commission on the Future of North Carolina Elections will convene its third all-commission meeting at Catawba College on Feb. 4 to present its final report on the state’s election system and recommendations for improvements.
After the commission meets, Judy Woodruff, former anchor of PBS NewsHour, and Catawba College Professor Michael Bitzer will discuss the role of polarization in America and potential solutions. The conversation – titled “De-polarization in America: Is North Carolina the Epicenter?” — will consider whether North Carolina, through works such as the commission, can be the epicenter of depolarization efforts
The morning event will feature various committees from the Commission on the Future of N.C. Elections presenting final findings on 11 different aspects of North Carolina electoral processes, including voter access, campaign finance, and election administration, and recommendations for improvements. That event takes pace at noon in the Center for the Environment.
The evening event will feature a conversation between Woodruff and Bitzer on efforts in North Carolina and beyond to improve elections, understand and decrease polarization, and strengthen democratic resilience, and where the state and the country go next. That event starts at 7 p.m. in Keppel Auditorium.