Join us in Portland on November 16—two weeks after election day—for a conversation about trust, elections, and our political systems and culture with Paul Gronke, director of the Elections & Voting Information Center at Reed College, and Susheela Jayapal, a former Multnomah County Commissioner and current fellow with the North Star Civic Foundation.

Polling of voters in the US shows that confidence in elections and political institutions has fallen over the past two years. In this onstage conversation, moderated by Adam Davis, we'll dig into the factors that affect the public's faith in our democracy and how that declining trust shapes how we vote and how we govern ourselves. 

The conversation will take place at The Old Church in Portland (1422 SW 11th Ave.) at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 16, 2026. The event is part of our 2026–27 Consider This series, What Do We Trust?

About Our Guests

Paul Gronke is the founding director of the Elections & Voting Information Center (EVIC), an emeritus professor of political science at Reed College, and a senior fellow at the Center for Public Service. Gronke is a nationally known scholar of American politics, elections, and research methods. Under his leadership, EVIC has become a national center of excellence for policy research and publicly engaged scholarship into election administration, election reform, and electoral integrity. A major focus of Gronke's current research is the Local Election Official (LEO) Survey, which EVIC has been undertaking since 2018. Gronke received a PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan and has been a member of the faculty of Reed College since 2000. In his spare time, he is an avid gardener, cook, and he likes to ski, hike, and experience the great outdoors. 

Susheela Jayapal is a lawyer and community advocate whose leadership has spanned the public and private sectors. Born in India, she grew up in India, Indonesia, and Singapore and came to the US at the age of sixteen to attend college. As a lawyer, she was a litigator in private practice and served as general counsel of Adidas America, Inc. She has served on the boards of directors of a wide range of nonprofit organizations; and served for five years on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, representing North and Northeast Portland. As a Commissioner, Susheela’s priorities included homelessness, community safety, and public health, all with a focus on racial, social, and economic justice. She currently consults on and leads projects focused on building a truly participatory and equitable democracy. 

Tickets

Tickets are $15 and available from The Old Church. 

To ensure that everyone who wants to attend is able to, a limited number of tickets are available for free. To get free tickets, use the code CONSIDERTHIS100.

Other ways to participate

Can't make it in person? Tune in from anywhere! The conversation will be streamed live, for free, on our YouTube channel, and will remain available for viewing after the program.

About the Venue

• The space: This event will be held indoors at The Old Church in downtown Portland. 
• Parking: Metered street parking is available around the venue. It is free after 7:00 p.m. There are disabled person parking spaces two blocks away, on SW Mill St. between 10th Ave. and Park Ave. There is a paid parking lot next to the venue on 10th Avenue that costs $4 per hour, and a garage three blocks away at Portland State University that costs $2.50 per hour: PSU Parking Lot #3 on SW 12th Ave. between Market and Montgomery.
• Food and drink: Light concessions are available at the venue. Outside food and drink is not allowed.
• Lighting: The venue is well-lit inside. Lights will be dimmed during the program.
• Video and Sound: The program will be amplified. There will be no loud music.
• Mobility access: There is an accessible entrance next to the main entrance on SW Clay St. There is designated seating for patrons with mobility devices, other assistance requirements, and their companions. Seating consists primarily of church-style pews and some high-back chairs without arm supports. All of TOC’s restrooms, including accessible restrooms, are located below the main level and are reached either by two sets of stairs or by elevator. 
• Questions: You can read more about accessibility at The Old Church here. With further questions, email staff@tocportland.org.

Thanks to our sponsors

Consider This is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Oregon Cultural Trust.