Hacking 4 Democracy: Elections 2020

“Hacking for Democracy” is an education initiative of JMU XLabs and JMU Civic that applies an interdisciplinary approach to addressing complex challenges facing our society and democracy. To do this, student teams will: communicate with a variety of experts and stakeholders at the local, state and national level; gather and analyze a variety of data; design, plan and implement solutions; and refine their knowledge and skills through collaboration and problem-solving.

The course will examine and address complex issues and challenges for the 2020 elections, including: how the presidential nominating process and Electoral College structure the game; and the impact and role of political parties, superPACs, interest groups and the media, with a special focus on the increasing role of social media. We will also examine the role and impact of campaign strategy, tactics and operations, polling, campaign finance, presidential debates, and the importance of who turns out and why.