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Watson Lecture - Can America Have a Safe and Secure Presidential Election?

Wednesday, October 7, 2020
5:00pm to 6:00pm
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Michael Alvarez, Professor of Political and Computational Social Science, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Caltech,
  • Public Event

Conducting free and fair elections has long been a hallmark of American democracy. But in the midst of a global pandemic, how can we ensure a safe and secure presidential election in 2020?

Michael Alvarez, co-director of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, and his research team use data science methods and tools to help improve the security of important election infrastructure and provide transparent and rapid monitoring and auditing of the integrity of elections. In the states and counties that use such methods, voters can be more confident in the integrity of reported election results.

In this lecture, Alvarez shares how scientific detection of election problems helps election officials improve their procedures and technologies, giving voters the information they will need to bolster their confidence in the integrity of this and future elections.

This Zoom webinar is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required.

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Each Watson Lecture will begin at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time as a Zoom Webinar
with live audience Q&A at the end. Please note the new start time. At 8 p.m. Pacific Time the recorded lecture (without Q&A) will be posted on Caltech's YouTube channel.

Find out more about the science behind voting and elections on the Caltech Science Exchange.

About the Speaker

Michael Alvarez is Professor of Political and Computational Social Science in the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

About the Series

Since 1922, The Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series has brought Caltech's most innovative scientific research to the public. The series is named for Earnest C. Watson, a professor of physics at Caltech from 1919 until 1959. Spotlighting a small selection of the pioneering research Caltech's faculty is currently conducting, the Watson Lectures are geared toward a general audience, as part of the Institute's ongoing commitment to benefiting the local community through education and outreach. Through a gift from the estate of Richard C. Biedebach, the lecture series is able to highlight assistant professors' research each season.

Many past Watson Lectures are available in a playlist on YouTube.
For more information, please contact The Caltech Ticket Office by email at [email protected].