Russell Library Launches Ready, Steady, Vote! Event Series

Could your election season use a little non-partisan entertainment? If so, then plan to join the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies for Ready, Steady, Vote!, an event series spotlighting all things presidential during the 2016 election season. A combination of community forums, debate watch events, lectures and performances hosted with campus and community partners, Ready, Steady, Vote! is free and open to the public. Dates and descriptions for individual events are listed below. For more information, contact jhebbard@uga.edu or call (706) 542-5788.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016, 4:00-5:00PM
A President in Our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia
Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies

Please join the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies and the University of Georgia Press in welcoming author Kaye Minchew for a talk focused on her new book, A President in Our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia. Roosevelt visited Georgia forty-one times between 1924 and 1945. Minchew’s work offers a rich gathering of photographs and remembrances that document the vital role of Georgia’s people and places in FDR’s rise from his position as a despairing politician daunted by disease to his role as a revered leader who guided the country through its worst depression and a world war. A light reception and book signing will follow the lecture at 5:00 p.m.


Monday, September 26, 2016, 8:00-10:30PM
Presidential Debate Watch
Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building for Special Collections Libraries

Witness history in the making! As the campaign season comes to a fever pitch and Election Day draws near, join the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies for Debate Watch 2016 on Monday, September 26 at 8:00 p.m. Visitors will gather to watch the candidates go toe-to-toe on the big screen. Dr. Paul Gurian, Associate Professor of Political Science at The University of Georgia, will introduce the debate and facilitate discussion. Doors will open at 8:00, followed by discussion at 8:30, and the debate at 9:00.


Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 2:00PM-3:30PM
Community Forum,  America’s Role in the World
Room 258, Richard B. Russell Building for Special Collections Libraries

What does “national security” mean in the 21st century? And how do we, as citizens of the United States, think our elected leaders should go about securing our nation? Does the answer lie in strengthening the military or balancing the budget? Or perhaps it’s a question of our active participation in a global society – working with other countries to find collaborative solutions to issues like overpopulation, nuclear proliferation, global warming, pandemics, and food shortages. Join us for this deliberative discussion weighing the benefits and tradeoffs of three approaches to this issue using a National Issues Forums issue guide.


Wednesday, October 5, 2016, 3:30-5:30PM
Political Breakdown: Understanding the 2016 Presidential Election
Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

The 2016 election has confounded pundits and political observers. How did Donald Trump win the Republican nomination? How did Bernie Sanders mount such an unexpected challenge to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary? Who is most likely to win in November? Join celebrated political scientists John Sides and Lynn Vavreck for a breakdown of key data collected during this election cycle to find answers to these questions. A light reception and book signing for The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election will follow the lecture at 4:30.


Tuesday, October 11, 2016, 7:00-8:00PM
Georgia Debate Union vs. Barkley Forum, Topic: Immigration Policy 
Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building for Special Collections Libraries
More information coming soon...


Tuesday, October 18, 2016, 2:00-3:30PM
Community Forum, America’s Future: What Should Our Budget Priorities Be?
Room 258, Richard B. Russell Building for Special Collections Libraries

America is slowly coming out of a long recession. Unemployment, after peaking at 10 percent in 2009, has fallen below 8 percent; more new homes are being built, although just gradually. Despite the heavy blow we've taken in the last few years, the US economy is very large and still growing. We have significant resources, but they are finite. What direction should we take? Join us for this deliberative discussion where we weigh the benefits and tradeoffs of three approaches to this issue using an National Issues Forums issue guide.

Wednesday October 19, 2016, 8:00-10:30PM
Presidential Debate Watch
Auditorium (Room 271), Richard B. Russell Building for Special Collections Libraries

Witness history in the making! As the campaign season comes to a fever pitch and Election Day draws near, join the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies for Debate Watch 2016 on Wednesday, October 19 at 8:00 p.m. Visitors will gather to watch the candidates go toe-to-toe on the big screen. Dr. Paul Gurian, Associate Professor of Political Science at The University of Georgia, will introduce the debate and facilitate discussion. Doors will open at 8:00, followed by discussion at 8:30, and the debate at 9:00.


Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 2:00-3:30PM
Community Forum, The Divided States of America: How Can We Get Work Done Even When We Disagree?
Room 258, Richard B. Russell Building for Special Collections Libraries

Many Americans are concerned that our differences are preventing us from tackling the serious public problems we face in our communities and nation. Political observers say we’re more polarized now than we’ve been since the Civil War. People in communities say they feel increasingly discounted, segregated and excluded based on their beliefs. Join us for this deliberative discussion where we weigh the benefits and tradeoffs of three approaches to this issue using an National Issues Forums issue guide.


Thursday, November 10, 2016, 5:30-7:30PM
Special Collections Fall Exhibits Reception 
Second Floor, Richard B. Russell Building for Special Collections Libraries

The Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries will host its bi-annual reception celebrating new exhibitions on Thursday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m. The event will include live music, light refreshments, and gallery activities. A special performance of “On the Stump: What Does it Take to Get Elected in Georgia” by the students of THEA 4800 / AFAM 4250 will take place in the auditorium at 6:30PM. RSVP to lnessel@uga.edu or call 706.542.3879. For more information about the Special Collections Libraries call 706.542.7123 or visit www.libs.uga.edu/scl 

Russell Library to Host 2016 Debate Watch

As the campaign season comes to a fever pitch and Election Day draws near, the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies will hold two presidential debate watch events this fall for the University of Georgia and Athens communities.

The library will screen the first presidential debate on Monday, Sept. 26 and the third debate on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Both screenings will take place in the auditorium (room 271) of the Russell Special Collections Building with introductions from Paul Gurian, professor of political science.

Gurian retired earlier this year after 30 years in the Department of Political Science at the University of Georgia. His teaching and research has focused on presidential campaign politics, particularly presidential primaries, campaign strategy, and the electoral college. He believes the first presidential debate this year could be critical.

“Usually debates do not change many people’s minds. Most people have already decided who they support. However, this year, there are many people who are still undecided or who are considering voting for a minor party candidate,” said Gurian. That means the stakes are high in this very close race. “The two candidates’ styles are dramatically different, so it is hard to anticipate how they will perform.”

At Monday night’s debate, hosted at Hofstra University in New York, moderators will ask candidates to focus on three topics: the direction of America, achieving prosperity, and securing America. In addition to introducing the debate and framing the three topics, Gurian will also take questions and facilitate brief discussion after the screening. Doors to each event will open at 8 p.m., with discussion at 8:30, and the debate set to begin at 9 p.m. Both events are open free to the public and light snacks and coffee will be served.

The screenings are being co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science and the Georgia Debate Union.

Debate Watch is part of the Ready, Steady, Vote! a series of events spotlighting all things presidential during the 2016 election season.For more information on this event and other programs in the series visit http://www.rbrl.blogspot.com or call (706) 542-5788.

Lame Duck

In anticipation of the November 2016 presidential election, the Russell Library’s Access and Outreach staff has been working on an exhibit, On the Stump: What Does it Take to Get Elected in Georgia? opening September 2^nd in the Harrison Feature Gallery. The exhibit considers the evolution of campaigning for state office and asks visitors to imagine life on the campaign trail. This post is one in a series exploring political slang and its role in elections. 

In political parlance, a lame duck is an elected official nearing the end of his or her tenure in office, especially one whose successor has been elected but not yet sworn in. Pundits often see lame ducks as holding less influence over their colleagues than those officials who will return in the following term. Yet lame ducks are often known to enact contentious policies at the proverbial eleventh hour, leaving partisan “parting shots” or “midnight regulations” for their successors to either accept or confront. Before 1976, the Georgia Constitution limited governors to a single four-year term (though governors were allowed to seek the office again after sitting out one four-year term). Essentially, then, Georgia governors were lame ducks upon their election. Today, only Virginia denies its governors the possibility of consecutive re-election.

Below: Booklet on governor's controversy published by Atlanta Journal, 1947.
 Georgia Ephemera Collection, Russell Library. 

In Georgia, lame duck status conspired with a suspect gubernatorial election in late 1946 and early 1947 to produce the so-called Three Governors Controversy.  Voters elected Eugene Talmadge, a conservative 62-year-old former governor, to succeed Gov. Ellis Arnall, a liberal up-and-comer. While Governor Arnall repealed the poll tax and uphold the Supreme Court decision ending the all-white party primary, Talmadge (as Governor from 1933 to 1937) vehemently opposed New Deal legislation he perceived as favorable to African Americans. 

Left: James V. Carmichael platform, 1946 gubernatorial campaign. Helen M. Lewis Collection of James V. Carmichael Campaign Material, Russell Library

In the Democratic primary, Talmadge defeated Jimmie Carmichael—a favor among young voters and the candidate Arnall endorsed—despite losing the popular vote to Carmichael by 16,144 votes or about 2.33% of the vote. Carmichael’s loss came at the hands of the state’s “county unit vote” system that favored candidates who controlled rural counties. However, Talmadge’s inner circle knew he was in poor health and feared he might not live to be sworn into office. Capitalizing on a loophole in the state constitution empowering the General Assembly to appoint a new governor from runner-up candidates in the event of the governor-elect’s death, the Talmadge machine quietly ran Eugene’s son Herman as a write-in candidate in the general election. With no Republican on the ballot, and fortuitous discovery of additional write-in votes from his home county, the younger Talmadge placed second with just 675 or .46% of the votes. Eugene Talmadge died on December 21, 1946.

Effective the 1946 election, the new state constitution established the office of lieutenant governor. The The “Anti-Talmadge” candidate Melvin Ernest (M. E.) Thompson had been elected to that office in November, and upon the elder Talmadge’s death, laid claim to the governorship. 

Above Right: M.E. Thompson for governor brochure, 1947. M.E. Thompson Papers, Russell Library.

On January 15, 1947, a General Assembly dominated by Talmadge-affiliated “Dixiecrats” voted to declare Herman Talmadge the next Governor. Thompson sued. Meanwhile, “lame duck” Governor Arnall refused to leave office until a successor had been” legitimately” chosen. 

Above: Herman Talmadge (center) being sworn in as Governor of Georgia, January 1947.
 Herman E. Talmadge Collection, Russell Library. 

Some two months later, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in favor of Thompson but called for a special election to fill the remainder of the late Governor-elect Eugene Talmadge’s term (due to expire in 1951). Herman Talmadge easily defeated Thompson in that special election, held in September 1948, and did the same two years later for a full term as governor; then again in 1956 for a U.S. Senate seat that Talmadge would hold for 24 years. 

Want to find out more? Visit On the Stump on display in the Harrison Feature Gallery in the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries  from September 2, 2016 through August 18, 2017. The Russell Library gallery is free and open to the public weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. For more information, email russlib@uga.edu or call 706-542-5788.