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Should voting be a voluntary right or a required civic duty? That question will anchor the 2026 College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Freedman Lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Titled “What if Everyone Voted? Power, Freedom, and the Future of American Democracy,” the 4 p.m. lecture in the Great Hall of Old Chapel is free and open to the public.

Part of the SBS Democracy in Troubled Times series, a panel of three experts will consider whether mandatory participation strengthens democratic legitimacy, counters voter suppression and improves political representation—or whether it constitutes an unjustified form of state coercion that could amplify misinformation, unequal political voice and public distrust. 

Moderated by Professor of Political Science Jesse Rhodes, the panel will include:

Jason Brennan, Robert J. and Elizabeth Flanagan Family Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. A specialist in politics, philosophy and economics, Brennan is editor-in-chief of Philosophy & Public Affairs and an associate editor of Social Philosophy and Policy.

Evelyn Mantilla, a former member of the Connecticut House of Representatives who served for 10 years representing one of the state’s lowest-income districts. She brings decades of experience in electoral politics, coalition building and public policy, with expertise in health equity and the intersection of race, economics and access to care.

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Miles Rapoport, executive director of 100% Democracy and a leading advocate for universal voting in the U.S. A former Connecticut secretary of the state and five-term member of the Connecticut House, Rapoport has led major democracy-focused organizations, including Dēmos and Common Cause. He is co-author, with Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, of “100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting.”

The Freedman Lecture Series is funded by Robert Rosen ’69 and Nancy Rosen ’70 and named for Nancy Rosen’s parents, Max and Ruth Freedman. Since its launch in 2016, the series has brought scholars and practitioners to SBS to examine pressing social and political issues from multiple perspectives, modeling how reasonable people can disagree without being disagreeable. Past lectures have addressed topics such as immigration, universal basic income and free speech.

This year’s event is co-sponsored by the university’s Community, Democracy and Dialogue initiative.

More information about the Freedman Lecture Series and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is available on the SBS website.