Although 2025 may not be a major election year, the MSUvote campus and community initiative has launched a spring spotlight series to maintain political engagement and offer conversations on various policy issues.

The series, organized by MSUvote — a nonpartisan coalition of campus partners and community organizations promoting democratic engagement and voting — will start by exploring the topic, “How We Got Here: Understanding the 2024 Election and What Comes Next.”

The event will be held on Feb. 20 in the Lincoln Room at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Michigan State University. It will include expert panelists who will revisit 2024 one final time and discuss the issues that will guide the 2026 midterm elections.  

MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz visits the Early Voting Center at WKAR in 2024 and takes selfie with the co-chairs of MSUvote, Su Webster and Renee Brown. Photo credit Derrick Turner.

Participants can sign up to attend by registering online.

“There’s a lot of energy, a lot of fervor around major elections. In off years, that attention and connection to issues can wane,” said Suchitra Webster, co-director of MSUvote and director of the Office of Community and Student Relations. “This series helps our campus and community to remain consistently engaged and aware.”

The discussion will be moderated by Matt Grossmann, director of MSU’s Institute for Public Research and Social Policy, with experts from MSU and other organizations. Panelists will include:

•       Nura Sediqe, assistant professor at MSU’s Department of Political Science
•       Mark Grebner, political consultant, attorney and an Ingham County commissioner
•       Garland “Rusty” Hills, lecturer at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

“I look forward to moderating what I am sure will be an engaging and robust conversation,” said Grossmann. “We will breakdown the results from the 2024 election, and here in Michigan, the focus is already shifting to our gubernatorial race and now open U.S. Senate seat. Michigan will be at the center of determining how the mid-term elections will fair.”

Information regarding future events in the series will be shared with the community and posted to the MSUvote website and channels once details are finalized. For questions or to provide topic suggestions, email msuvote@msu.edu.