From Filibuster to Representation

Election law scholar Rick Hasen, civil rights advocate Barbara Arnwine, and RepresentWomen’s Cynthia Richie Terrell join Michele Goodwin to debate the filibuster, voter suppression, and whether the Senate is standing in the way of fair representation.

On this episode of On the Issues with Michele Goodwin, leading experts Rick Hasen, Barbara Arnwine, and Cynthia Richie Terrell examine the fractures in U.S. democracy exposed by the 2020 election and ask: Is the Senate truly representative?

The conversation explores:

• The role of Senate rules, like the filibuster, in blocking legislation.
• Whether the Electoral College still serves a democratic purpose.
• Contemporary voter suppression tactics undermining fair representation.
• The need for structural reforms to ensure a truly representative democracy.

Guests include:

• Rick Hasen – Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at UC Irvine, nationally recognized election law scholar, and former CNN election law analyst.
• Barbara R. Arnwine – Civil rights leader, president and founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition, and architect of key provisions in the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and Voting Rights Act reauthorization.
• Cynthia Richie Terrell – Founder and Executive Director of RepresentWomen, a leading advocate for rules and systems reforms to advance women’s political representation.

Listen now to explore whether the Senate can evolve—or whether it’s holding democracy back.