Lawrence Norden is Deputy Director of the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, where he uses rigorous research, innovative policy solutions, and tenacious advocacy to seek improvements to our systems of democracy and justice. His work touches on a variety of civic issues, from from money in politics to voting to government dysfunction. During his time at the Brennan Center, he has authored several nationally recognized reports and articles related to law and democracy, including Securing Elections From Foreign Interference (June 2017), Five to Four (January 2016) and America’s Voting Machines at Risk(September 2015). His work has been featured in media outlets across the country, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. He has testified before Congress and several state legislatures on numerous occasions.
Democracy
Why Can’t We Register to Vote Online? (and Other Ways Tech Could Improve Democracy)
American democracy is out of date, in large part because we have failed to take advantage of voting technology. Turnout is now low and the experience of voting and registering inconvenient. Most Americans must still go to the DMV to register. The infrastructure is old and creaky. But an influx of new tech could bring American democracy out of the stone age, and possibly reinvigorate the entire system.
government
Can Tech and Government Save Democracy?
Session Description (breakfast session): With the spread of disinformation and sophisticated techno-manipulation, we’ve learned a lot in the past year about the negative impact of technology on democracy. Now what? Certainly the solution does not lie with either tech or government alone. Can the institutions of society come together to prevent the demise of democracy? The […]
180 Shift: Lawrence Norden
How Much Is Your Vote Really Worth? Infrastructure investment is lagging across the United States, including the country’s voting systems, central to our democracy. The majority are either close to or past their projected lifespans. What will it take to drag these antiquated systems into the present, and beyond?
Conferences
Techonomy 17
“The idea that fake news on Facebook…influenced the election in any way, I think is a pretty crazy idea,” said Mark Zuckerberg onstage at Techonomy 2016. He has subsequently recanted.
Conferences
Techonomy 15
Technology as scapegoat has driven fears since at least the industrial revolution. That is as true as ever today, with fears of privacy intrusion, our devices inducing inattention, withdrawal from human contact into screens, job-killing robots, and innumerable business models being destroyed.
