“Preparing for the Risk of Political Violence: Threat Assessment, Constitutional Principles and Legal Solutions”

Moscow League of Women Voters speakers series event with Zena Hartung, Moscow League of Women Voters president, and Ashley Jennings, senior deputy prosecutor for Latah County.  As the Pacific Northwest region prepares for its first federal and statewide elections since 2020, the potential for political violence is an ever-present threat. The widespread propagation of disinformation and the rise of extremist ideological movements of all stripes have left American democracy at a vulnerable juncture in 2022. The Pacific Northwest region has experienced this destabilized political turmoil perhaps more acutely than any other, from armed intimidation and violence at protests across the region to threats to election workers and elected officials to the spread of unlawful private militias. In September, Georgetown’s Law’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection held a two-day, invitation-only Pacific Northwest Regional Convening of Key Leaders in Portland, Ore. Participants gained a common understanding of both the on-the-ground threat landscape and relevant constitutional principles and legal precedents to allow state and local law enforcement, public officials and community leaders to prepare for, prevent and promptly respond to intimidation, violence and other efforts to reduce the participation in the democratic process. Please join Hartung and Jennings, who attended this conference to discuss their key takeaways from the conference.