With elections in the German state of Brandenburg and federal elections in the United States coming up, we want to take a closer look at the critical topics across the Atlantic: migration, economy and inflation, equality and reproductive health rights. How can we fix these problems? What do the candidates for office suggest? Who will have the best defense against attacks from the other side? We reflected on a turbulent election year 2024, the importance of polling and TV debates, waning trust and new hopes in the biggest democracy in the West, and what are potential lessons Germany can take away from all of this as it nears its own major election year 2025.
Together, we debated these questions with Franziska Riel, Head of Communication for a member of the German Bundestag; and J. Miles Coleman, Associate Editor at The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. This talk is part of our trans-Atlantic series “Across the Pond” in collaboration with Open Embassy for Democracy (OPEM) and University of Cologne New York Office. Curated and moderated by Tobias Endler.
This talk is part of our trans-Atlantic series “Across the Pond” in collaboration with Open Embassy for Democracy (OPEM) and University of Cologne New York Office. Curated and moderated by Tobias Endler.
Biographies
Franziska Riel is an Austrian Americanist, Head of Communication for a member of the German Bundestagthe, previous Head of Press and Information, Austrian Embassy, Berlin, and a former Parliamentary Staffer for the German Parliament, with expertise in political communications. Riel also has a professional record in academia, public relations, and political institutions, and a research focus on White House communications, presidential campaigns, and bipartisanship in the U.S.
J. Miles Coleman is the associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the University of Virginia Center for Politics’ authoritative, nonpartisan newsletter on American campaigns and elections. He also serves as the Center’s Media Relations Coordinator.
A political cartographer, Miles has generated a portfolio of thousands of electoral maps. Prior to joining the Center for Politics in 2019, Miles supported Decision Desk HQ, where he specialized in collecting and analyzing election night returns. Outlets that have cited his work include the Washington Post, Politico, and MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show. Miles also has spoken at venues such as the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
A New Orleans native, Miles is a 2014 graduate of Louisiana State University, where he double-majored Anthropology and International Studies.
This event is part of a series of online talks with young voters from both sides of the Atlantic:
Across the Pond – Politics, Power, Participation
Young Voters Talk
Politicians are being attacked, elections are deemed “rigged”, democratic institutions are called into question, checks and balances seem to cause constant gridlock, and extremists are gaining ground… 2024 looks like an election year that seemingly doesn’t offer much hope for the future - neither in Europe, nor the United States. In this series, we will hear from young voters from both sides of the Atlantic who share their ideas about how to move forward. More…