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PRODID:-//Shop Local Delmarva//Events//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
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BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:sle-1906@shoplocaldelmarva.com
DTSTAMP:20261009T071751Z
DTSTART:20261009T210000Z
DTEND:20261009T220000Z
SUMMARY:Ideas After Hours | Keeping Our Republic: Why and How Elections Mat
 ter
LOCATION:Large Meeting Room\, Fireplace Area\, Lewes Public Library
URL:https://shoplocaldelmarva.com/events/ideas-after-hours-keeping-our-repu
 blic-why-and-how-elections-matter-2026-10-09/
DESCRIPTION:In-Person\nIdeas After Hours: Where Curiosity Sparks Conversati
 on is a new monthly series held after the library closes on the second Fri
 day of each month. Enjoy an engaging presentation on a thought-provoking t
 opic\, then gather by the fireplace for refreshments and lively conversati
 on inspired by what we've learned together.\nAs we approach the mid-term e
 lections in a polarized nation\, in might be useful to step back from the 
 dueling demands for ending the Electoral College\, Voter ID requirements\,
  and partisan efforts at Gerrymandering to take an historical perspective 
 on the role of parties and elections. Of course\, ours is not the first ti
 me Americans have wrestled with questions of who gets to vote and how to o
 rganize the electoral process\; nor is it the most polarized episode. At t
 he core of these issues is the question of legitimacy\, on what basis shou
 ld we accord authority to political leaders. Our unquestioned basis of leg
 itimate power\, stated in the Declaration of Independence and operationali
 zed\, however imperfectly\, in the Constitution\, is popular sovereignty\,
  that is\, consent of the governed. When we have changed our mode of elect
 ions or expanded the franchise\, the question of legitimacy has always bee
 n the underlying reason\; the outcomes of our politics have left significa
 nt portions of the citizenry convinced that their consent was not given. W
 e are again in such a position and it might be instructive to consider wha
 t we can take from past episodes when parties an…\n\nhttps://shoplocalde
 lmarva.com/events/ideas-after-hours-keeping-our-republic-why-and-how-elect
 ions-matter-2026-10-09/
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