The Civics Lab

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Back in early December of 2020, The Civics Lab had a discussion with Mirek Konvalina; director of the Czech Center in New York and a seasoned diplomatic professional. In addition to the work Mirek has done at the Czech Center, he has also served as the Director of the American Center - US Embassy Prague, worked as Czech Radio's correspondent in D.C. and at the United Nations, served as Director for both Czech Radio Journal and Czech Radio, served as Vice President of the European Union Cultural Institute, and has authored two books on American democracy. In our discussion we talk about the cultural importance his work at the Czech Center plays, how beer could be considered soft diplomacy, cultural ties between the Czech Republic and the U.S., and much more. 

Respond to this weeks episode of The Civics Lab @TheCivicsLab on Instagram and Twitter.   Stay tuned for our next episode featuring James Barragan, journalist for The Dallas Morning News. We will be covering how accessible the Texas Legislature has been amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, top issues he is following this session, and how reporting from the Texas Legislature differs from other states. 

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Representative Stephanie Klick, Chair of the Texas House Elections Committee, is in the Civics Lab, discussing the 2020 Texas Elections and how her committee is preparing for the upcoming Texas legislative session.   We discuss mandatory voting, a national election law, student id's as forms of identification, and the lack of a paper trail of ballots in Harris County.

Respond to this weeks Civics Lab @TheCivicsLab on Instagram and Twitter.   Next month, the Civics Lab interviews Miroslav Konvalina, the Vice President of the European Union Cultural Institute and author of two books on American democracy.  

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This week, Dr. Scot Schraufnagel , Professor of Political Science at Northern Illiniois University, is in the Civics Lab and discusses his research on the cost of voting in the United States. Did you know that Texas is the most difficult state to vote in the United States?  Where does your state rank? Did you know that high voter turnout benefits both Republicans and Democrats?  

“Voting and elections are at the heart of our democracy, and voting should be easy,” says Schraufnagel. “One characteristic that helps define the competency of an electoral system and the legitimacy of governing institutions is the ease in which you can cast a ballot.”

Join us this week and react to the episode @TheCivicsLab on Instagram and Twitter.

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This week, the civics lab explores the causes for why the media contributes to inflaming our political divide.  We discuss our groups’ solutions from an article we wrote for the Dallas Morning News Sunday Edition.

The public reaction to this article included well over 150 comments on digital media and ran a full spectrum of informed to outright venomous responses.  

Listen to our reaction and assessment in this week’s episode of the civics lab.   Are we united by our continued social media divsions?  Is the business of the news contributing to the inflammation of America's political divide?  React to our article on our Twitter and Instagram feeds, @TheCivicsLab

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This week, the civics lab goes to the small town of Llano, Texas and discovers that healing the wounds of the Vietnam war may be the key to solving our current political divide.  In over 20 interviews, we uncover the widespread distrust in American political institutions and politicians and identify the 50 year wounds of Vietnam still penetrate the American psyche.  

We discover that people in small towns trust their neighbors and want the same level of communication and trust with those that represent them.   We hope you join us for this important episode of the Civics Lab.  Healing the Wounds of Vietnam is a key to overcoming our current political impasse.  

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Small towns matter to the future of Texas.  We went to Llano on November 14, the same day thousands were rallying in D.C.,  protesting and questioning the results of the 2020 presidential election, to ask what matters to small town voters.  We interviewed over 20 small town residents around Llano Texas.  Llano is a beautiful town, with the Llano River running right through town.  The town square and county courthouse are landmarks for the community and it is a thriving small town square.  

In the upcoming episode, we interview representatives of the Llano Patriots Milita Group, the owner of the Trump Store, local artists, families and business owners, and long-time residents of the community, asking them what issues are most important to them and how the voting process has gone in Llano.  Stay tuned for an enlightening and we think surprising episode, from Llano Texas and the good people in that community.  

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The Civics Lab at St. Edward’s University conducted exit interviews with average voters around Austin, Texas.  We uncover what motivates voting, thoughts on the value of individual votes and the 2020 Election’s impact on the future of America.

Please make sure to leave a review and subscribe!  The Civics Lab is funded by a grant from the Hatton Sumners Foundation.