Protecting the Ballot: Inside UCLA’s Voting Rights Project Chad Dunn on Protecting the Fundamental Right to Vote Through Litigation, Research, and Student Advocacy
Voting is supposed to be a right—but in America, it’s never guaranteed.
Even in California, a state widely regarded for its robust voter protections, local jurisdictions can dilute votes through local rules, district boundaries, and administrative practices. From city councils to school boards, the mechanics of democracy still decide whose voices are heard.
For Chad Dunn, legal director and co-founder of the UCLA Voting Rights Project (VRP), that reality is precisely why the work exists.
“Every generation of Americans and every generation of people in a democracy has to re-secure their democratic rights,” Dunn says. “They’re never permanently safe.”
Chad Dunn
Dunn, who also serves as a lecturer at the UCLA School of Law and the Luskin School of Public Affairs, describes the program as blending high-stakes litigation with rigorous research and hands-on student training.
“The Voting Rights Project is training the next generation of voting rights practitioners,” he explains, “whether it be lawyers, data scientists, or courtroom experts, to secure democracy in the future with real-life active cases and published research.”
Founded in 2018, the project has grown steadily. At any given time, between 30 and 40 students are involved, working directly on cases that span the country.
Dunn makes clear that voting rights in the United States are not static, they “ebb and flow, as we’ve seen throughout American history.” While constitutional and statutory protections exist at the federal and state levels, discriminatory practices persist, which makes enforcement essential.
“The Voting Rights Project is training the next generation of voting rights practitioners, whether it be lawyers, data scientists, or courtroom experts, to secure democracy in the future with real-life active cases and published research.”
The VRP addresses this reality by taking on cases nationwide — including in Texas, Florida and Georgia. While some states require heightened oversight, Dunn notes that California is not immune, pointing to instances in which counties, local governments, and school districts have engaged in vote dilution.
Central to much of this work is the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the landmark federal law which prohibits racial discrimination in voting. Dunn discusses how this law operates in practice and how students in the project are trained to identify and prove violations under the Act.
“One of the key provisions that we teach in our course is what it takes to prove a Voting Rights Act claim,” he says. “And that is under attack throughout the country at a level that we’ve not seen in 30 or 40 years.”
The project currently represents Latino voters in Texas and Washington, Native voters in New Mexico and Montana, Asian American communities, and African American voters in multiple jurisdictions. A case in Galveston, Texas, Dunn notes, has had nationwide implications and is ultimately on its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dunn is particularly emphatic about correcting a common misconception: that voting rights litigation is inherently partisan.
“The Voting Rights Project is here to protect everyone’s right to vote,” he says. “We’ve brought cases in communities where candidates of choice for the people we were protecting were Republicans. We’ve brought cases where they were Democrats.”
He stresses that voting rights laws are not about guaranteeing partisan outcomes or ensuring that demographic groups elect specific candidates. “A lot of people get confused that voting rights relate to your entitlement to have so many Democrats in office or so many Republicans,” Dunn says. “These laws don’t have any consideration for those things.”
Instead, the focus is on the individual voter. “What we do is focus on the interests of the individual voters and ensure that whatever the voters’ choices are—whether it’s to have a Black elected official or a white elected official, or Republican or Democrat—those choices are respected and counted,” he says. “That’s the fundamental right to vote.”
One of the VRP’s primary areas of engagement is redistricting. While voting is the act of registering and casting a ballot, geographical location also plays a critical role.
“We can give you the right to vote… we can count your vote… but if we draw you in a particular geography, we can make sure that you’re never actually able to elect your candidate of choice.”
The project analyzes congressional, state legislative, city council, and school district maps. Students examine district histories, racial demographics, voting patterns, and the map-drawing process itself. When discrimination is found, VRP begins with community advocacy, engages enforcement agencies, and files suit if necessary.
This combination of litigation, data analysis, and advocacy exemplifies the project’s interdisciplinary approach. While many participants are law students gaining courtroom experience, the project also includes social scientists, data scientists, and students from anthropology, history, and even medical school.
“One of the fantastic things about UCLA is the diversity of our students,” Dunn says—not only in background, but in talent and interests. “The neat thing about the Voting Rights Project is you can have varying interests and still gain a lot from the program—and you can provide a lot to the program.”
In a typical year, Dunn and his team average two to four trials. Weeks of preparation culminate in courtroom arguments shaped by months or even years of research, collaboration, and strategy. Beyond litigation, VRP conducts analytical projects such as dispersion plots to visually track voting patterns, studies on redistricting techniques, and other research critical to proving cases in court.
For Dunn, the mission is as much about the future as it is about responding to the present.
“American history shows that every generation has needed people on the front lines to defend our right to vote. What we’ve built here at UCLA Luskin is a center dedicated to training those people—it’s truly one of its kind in the United States.”
“Black Joy Unfiltered” Draws Packed House at UCLA Nimoy Theater Michael Harriot and Michael Lens reflect on Black history, neighborhoods, and lived experience during a Black History Month Luskin Lecture Series event.
A line of people stretched down Westwood Boulevard before the doors even opened for “Black Joy Unfiltered: A Conversation with Michael Harriot and Michael Lens” on February 25. By 6 p.m., students, faculty, and community members packed the UCLA Nimoy Theater for a Luskin Lecture Series event presented in partnership with the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies.
The evening brought together two distinct voices examining Black history and Black neighborhoods — one through public storytelling and cultural critique, the other through decades of research on segregation and urban policy — in a candid, wide-ranging conversation about the lived experiences of Black communities.
The discussion was moderated by Safiya U. Noble, the David O. Sears Presidential Endowed Chair of Social Sciences at UCLA and a MacArthur Fellow known for her scholarship on algorithmic discrimination.
“I wanted to write a book about the history of America from the eyes of Black people, and gives us a version of our history that centers us.”
Harriot, author of the New York Times bestseller “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America,” spoke about his motivation to reframe American history. “I wanted to write a book about the history of America from the eyes of Black people,” he said. “I wanted to examine America through that lens, not through the language of academia, but write a book that gives us a version of our history that sounds like us, that centers us, without filtering it through another perspective.”
Lens, whose book “Where the Hood At? Fifty Years of Change in Black Neighborhoods” examines long-term patterns in Black communities, reflected on his scholarly approach to segregation and neighborhood change. “I have long been interested in how neighborhoods shape our lives, and it’s one area of research I try to build on.” He noted that so much of segregation research has historically been shaped by white scholars and often frames Black neighborhoods primarily in relation to whiteness. “Black neighborhoods were never really the main character in this kind of research, and I really wanted to make the Black neighborhoods the main characters in the book I wrote,” Lens said.
“Events like this matter because before we talk about solutions, we have to understand historical context.”
Throughout the evening, Noble guided the discussion through themes of economic and political transformation, structural inequality and the resilience embedded within Black communities.
For many students in attendance, the conversation offered both reflection and affirmation. “I appreciated how the discussion stayed unfiltered, using humor to navigate difficult truths about American history and Black neighborhoods,” said Public Affairs undergraduate major Sheryl Samala. ““Events like this matter because before we talk about solutions, we have to understand historical context. We already have research that reveals the legacy of discrimination — the real challenge is making sure meaningful change is actually implemented.”
Following the discussion, guests lined up for a book signing where Harriot and Lens greeted readers, signed copies of their books and continued informal conversations late into the evening.
The Luskin Lecture Series is designed to enhance public discourse on topics relevant to today’s societal needs. Bringing renowned public intellectuals and scholars together with national and local leaders, the Luskin Lecture Series presents issues that are changing the way our country addresses its most pressing problems. For more information on upcoming Luskin Lecture Series events, please click here.
A Fulbright Winner’s Passion for International Education
Laila Wheeler
During her time as a UCLA undergraduate, Laila Wheeler BA ’25 kept a busy schedule. A triple major in Public Affairs, Education and Sociology, she worked as an opinion editor for the Daily Bruin, conducted research on racism and maternal health in Black communities, mentored high school students preparing for college, and earned prestigious fellowships and internships to work on human rights and education initiatives in Ghana and South Africa.
“My interactions with diverse communities at UCLA and beyond shaped my worldview and interest to explore educational spaces globally,” said Wheeler, who is currently teaching English in Kenya as the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student award, which supports students in teaching and research projects across the globe.
Wheeler is also leading a community service learning course to advance civic engagement, while learning Swahili and immersing herself in Kenyan culture, history, language, and nature.
She is among 12 UCLA students and recent graduates selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in 2025-26, placing the university among the top producers of Fulbright students in the nation. Funded primarily through the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program fosters international academic and professional exchanges that build mutual understanding among Americans and people of other countries.
Advancing Affordable Housing Through UCLA Luskin’s Masters in Real Estate Development Program Francisco Castañeda is leveraging Luskin’s MRED program to deepen his impact in the affordable housing sector.
Francisco Castañeda, a native of San Ysidro, California, brings six years of professional experience in the affordable housing sector across both nonprofit and for-profit sectors to Luskin’s Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program.
Castañeda’s professional path was shaped by his personal experience dealing with housing instability. Those early experiences inspired him to pursue a graduate degree focused specifically on affordable housing.
“I was really interested in UCLA’s MRED program because it of its people-focused real estate development curriculum,” Castañeda explained. “Many other programs treat affordable housing as an afterthought, but at Luskin, it’s a central focus.”
That focus is embedded throughout the MRED program and reinforced by the Jaeger Alter Standard Communities (JASC) Affordable Housing Program, launched in 2025 with a $2.5 million commitment from Standard Communities’ Jeffrey Jaeger and Scott Alter. Students who participate in the program earn a Certificate in Affordable Housing, gaining specialized training in development, capital solutions, and policy-informed approaches to equitable housing.
For Castañeda, the certificate adds both depth and credibility to his professional toolkit.
“I believe the Affordable Housing Certificate gives extra credence to my skill set,” he said. “It signals to employers that I have focused, hands-on training in housing development and understand the complexities of the field.”
Launched in fall 2025, MRED is an accelerated, one-year program designed in collaboration with industry leaders, with 70% of courses taught by practitioners. The curriculum blends real estate fundamentals—finance, investment, land use law, site planning, design, and construction management—with a policy-oriented perspective that integrates urban development, sustainability, and equity.
Castañeda emphasizes that it’s not just the curriculum that matters, but also the diverse cohort and the guidance from experienced industry leaders.
“The diversity of our peer group contributes to a robust classroom environment,” Castañeda said. “We all bring different interests, skill sets, and experiences. Also, having industry leaders teach our classes allows us to learn firsthand from those who have succeeded in the field, and to understand what really works in practice.”
Through the JASC Affordable Housing Program, students engage with emerging capital market strategies and development models designed to expand housing production beyond traditional public subsidies.
“Housing affordability is a critical issue,” Francisco noted. “Many people spend more than 50% of their income on rent or a mortgage. My interest in affordable housing comes from my own experience with housing instability, and I hope to use the skills and knowledge I gain here to create housing solutions that are more equitable, affordable, and accessible to communities like mine.”
Reexamining the “Nation of Immigrants”: The Politics of ICE Enforcement Keynote and Panel Discussion State leaders and advocates confront rising federal immigration enforcement and outline strategies for accountability and community protection.
The keynote and panel discussion “Reexamining the “Nation of Immigrants”: The Politics of ICE Enforcement” was held on Thursday, February 5, as part of the Luskin Lecture Series, bringing together leading voices in law, research and immigration rights advocacy to assess the changing landscape of immigration enforcement in California. Featured speakers included Attorney General of California Rob Bonta; Ahilan Arulanantham, professor from practice and faculty co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy, Paul Ong, research professor and director of the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, and Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.
In his keynote address, Bonta characterized the current moment as a critical juncture for immigrant communities in the state. He pointed to mounting reports of increased militarization on the streets and described a climate of fear taking hold in neighborhoods. Framing the issue as both a legal and moral imperative, Bonta underscored the importance of protecting the rights of all residents in California, regardless of immigration status, stating that “nobody should be living in fear.”
With President and CEO of California Community Foundation Miguel A. Santana serving as moderator, the panel discussion shifted to strategy, structural accountability and the broader implications of federal enforcement practices.
Salas highlighted California’s ongoing legal challenges to federal immigration actions and called for sustained oversight of detention facilities, urging state leaders to “double down on accountability.”
Ong widened the lens, situating California’s response within national trends, he argued that rigorous data collection and impact analysis are essential to demonstrating how state-level protections can mitigate harm to immigrant communities. By quantifying outcomes, he suggested, California could offer an evidence-based model for other states grappling with similar tensions.
Emphasizing allegations of misconduct by federal immigration officers in Southern California, Arulanantham called on state officials to consider criminal accountability where appropriate.
Following the panel discussion, the forum opened to audience questions that reflected the heightened anxieties around federal immigration enforcement in California. Many questions centered around how the state of California would protect its residents from the threat of ICE, especially on school campuses and in the anticipation of the upcoming Olympics.
The panelists responded by framing community preparedness as a critical line of defense, stressing the importance of people knowing their rights. Attorney General Bonta closed on a note that “we shouldn’t feel hopeless, because we’re not helpless.”
Welcoming the 2026 UCLA Activists-in-Residence
The UCLA Activists-in-Residence program welcomed its ninth cohort to campus for a five-month residency that provides time to reflect and recharge, envision new projects, and connect with UCLA faculty, students, and staff.
Four activists are participating in this year’s program, which supports artists, community organizers, and movement leaders as they undertake power-shifting scholarship and pedagogy focused on social change. The UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy will host three activists — José Gama Vargas, Chelsea Kirk, and Chris Tyler — and the UCLA Asian American Studies Center will host Set Hernandez.
- José Gama Vargas, a steward of the vast ancestral territory of the Gabrielino/Tongva Nation, is exploring what it means to unite gardeners as they stand in solidarity with the land, with each other and with the land’s original caretakers.
- Set Hernandez is a queer and undocumented filmmaker, writer, and community organizer with roots in the Philippines. Since 2010, they have organized around migrant justice issues, from deportation defense to health care access.
- Chelsea Kirk is a tenant organizer, researcher, and policy advocate whose work is oriented toward building a better world without predatory landlords. She earned her UCLA Luskin Master of Urban and Regional Planning in 2025.
- Chris Tyler, an organizer with the Los Angeles Tenants Union and communications manager at Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, works for housing and economic justice, organizing neighbors, fighting evictions, and coordinating educational programs.
Learn more about the UCLA Activists-in-Residence program and this year’s cohort
Growth Without Freedom: Bangladesh’s Precarious Path to the 2026 Election New Berggruen Governance Index reveals new insights on state capacity and accountability.
This election brief examines the critical juncture facing Bangladesh as it approaches the February 12, 2026, general election and concurrent referendum on the “July Charter.” Following the 2024 ouster of Sheikh Hasina and the subsequent transition to an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh seeks to reverse a two-decade trend of democratic backsliding and stagnant state capacity. Utilizing data from the Berggruen Governance Index, this analysis highlights a striking paradox: while democratic accountability and state capacity have significantly withered since 2000, public goods provision has reached record highs, driven by a highly concentrated, export-oriented textile model and growing public debt.
The report evaluates the sustainability of this “authoritarian developmentalism” in a deteriorating international environment characterized by U.S. protectionism and regional instability. It concludes that while the proposed constitutional reforms offer a framework for long-term stability, Bangladesh’s path to reconciling economic growth with democratic liberty remains precarious, requiring a departure from historical East Asian developmental models to suit a more fragmented geopolitical reality.
