Political scientist **Erin O’Brien** explores current efforts to restrict access to the ballot, through both legislative and judicial changes in states across the nation. Journalist **Phillip Martin** responds with examples from the Civil Rights Movement of citizen actions, including civil disobedience, that opened ballot access to previously disenfranchised African Americans. How can citizens respond when the ideals of democracy come into conflict with the policies of government? _This program is funded in part by MassHumanities._
Professor Erin E. O’Brien’s research and teaching interests focuses on the politics of poverty and social welfare policy, voting access policymaking in the United States, and gender in political participation/representation. Her work employs a variety of methods and approaches to social science in order to examine the connections among social policy, political thought and action, inequality, and patterns of stratification associated with social groups. Follow Erin on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/Prof\_EOB "Prof. O'Brien on Twitter").