Get a tour of the unexpectedly wild history of ballot design in the US, and learn ways that you can get involved in the November election.

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About this Event

You think that voting is confusing today? It’s nothing compared to how crazy things used to be! Join us for a presentation by Alicia Cheng, author of This Is What Democracy Looked Like, the first illustrated history of printed ballot design, which illuminates the noble but often flawed process at the heart of our democracy. Alicia will share a visual history of US ballots from the 19th and early 20th centuries, revealing the unregulated, outlandish, and, at times, absurd designs that reflect the explosive growth and changing face of the voting public. The ballots offer insight into a pivotal time in American history—a period of tectonic shifts in the electoral system—fraught with electoral fraud, disenfranchisement, scams, and skullduggery, as parties printed their own tickets and voters risked their lives going to the polls.

After Alicia’s presentation, we’ll talk about the ways that you can be sure everybody’s vote counts this November, and provide accurate information about voting by mail, what to expect at the polls on election day, and specific actions you can take in the lead-up to the election.

Co-organized by Indivisible Philadelphia and The Head & The Hand Books

About the author: Alicia Yin Cheng is a founding partner of MGMT. design in Brooklyn, New York. She currently serves as an external critic for the MFA program at the Rhode Island School of Design and has taught at Yale University, Maryland Institute College of Art, Barnard College, and Cooper Union. Cheng was a past board member of the AIGA/NY chapter and the Fine Arts Federation.

Support local booksellers! Buy your copy of This Is What Democracy Looked Like in advance from The Head & The Hand Books.

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