ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s been a contentious election season so far with race relations and the technicalities of politics and policy at the forefront.
On Nov. 3, voters in Florida had the final say on not only the presidential race but six amendments on the ballot proposing changes to the state’s constitution with the opportunity to sound off on who they want their local lawmakers and representatives to be.
In a conversation moderated by News 6 anchor Lisa Bell, a panel of experts analyzed the factors voters considered when casting their ballot this election and how different outcomes could impact the Central Florida community.
The public was invited to join our Results 2020 Roundtable on Zoom and ask the experts questions -- but there were some ground rules. Those joining the Zoom call had their microphones muted and were asked to avoid campaigning for their choice of candidate. They were told to use respectful language when submitting remarks in the chat.
There was a virtual moderator who selected questions from the public with the ability to remove viewers who used profanity or derogatory terms during the roundtable discussion. With so much at stake, we wanted to hear from you to get results together and have a productive conversation.
You can rewatch the discussion using the video player at the top of this story. You can learn more about the panelists below.
[JOIN US: Results 2020 Roundtable]
Charlton Copeland
Copeland is a professor at the University of Miami Law School where he teaches constitutional law, administrative law and civil procedure. A graduate of Yale Law, his research interests focus primarily on American constitutional law and politics. For the general election, he is prepared to offer his expertise on the separation of powers, race and American conservativism, and the politics of public policy -- including in the realms of health and education.
You can learn more about Copeland here.
Caroline Corbin
Corbin brings her expertise on the First Amendment to the roundtable. As a professor at the University of Miami School of Law, her concentration surrounds social justice and public interest. Since 2008, she’s been inspiring the next generation of lawyers at UM Law and equips them with her knowledge of expansive constitutional law. She also has an extensive background in religion clauses, the Free Speech Clause and feminism as it pertains to the First Amendment. Her scholarship focuses on the First Amendment’s speech and religion clauses, particularly their intersection with equality issues. People may have seen her work on SCOTUSblog and is prepared to weigh in on current events surrounding the nation’s highest court.
To learn more about Corbin, click here.
[YOUR VOTE, YOUR VIEW: See multiple Election Day livestreams happening now]
Dr. Larry Walker
Walker is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida and brings nearly a decade of experience working in rural, urban and suburban school districts to the roundtable. Walker’s in-depth research includes examining the traits of successful leaders from pre-K to policymakers, recruitment and retention of Black male teachers and investigating how federal and state policies impact under-served and marginalized populations. He is also a proud member of Alphi Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Walker is prepared to speak on education, mental health and how public policy and current events impact diverse populations and the Black community.
Learn more about Walker’s research here.
Former Dean and Professor of Law LeRoy Pernell
Pernell currently previously served as dean at Florida A&M College of Law and has earned many accolades in his decades-long career. He is also a professor at the school and has experience teaching future attorneys criminal procedure, juvenile law, mental health law, product liability and has taught courses related to civil rights, post-conviction-relief and racism and the law. Many of his publications surround diversity and racial justice with respect to the country’s criminal justice system. Pernell is prepared to speak on felon voting rights.
Learn more about Pernell’s extensive career and accomplishments here.
Eduardo Dominguez
Dominguez, affectionately known as Eddy, currently serves as chairman for the board of Latino Leadership, a grassroots organization in Central Florida committed to fostering the integration of the Hispanic community. Passionate about the Hispanic-Latinx community, he also volunteers as Florida State Hispanic Caucus member. Beyond giving back to the community, he spends his days as part of the corporate management team at Resource Employment Solutions as their senior executive vice president. At Resource, Dominguez manages an international staff of sales, marketing, and business development professionals who service the staffing and recruitment needs of Fortune 500 and mid-market companies across North America. Originally from Miami, Dominguez moved back to Florida after earning an advanced honors degree in government and economics from Harvard University.
Fergus Bell
Fergus Bell is a journalist and the founder and CEO of Fathm - a news lab and consultancy that supports journalists and newsrooms around the world. He has worked on countering election misinformation in the UK, Mexico, India, Indonesia and also during the last presidential election in 2016. He previously worked for the Associated Press where he established their verification processes and best practice for social media. He will join the panel starting at 9:30 p.m. to bring his expertise to the roundtable and answer any questions surrounding how to fact-check and spot misinformation.
For more election coverage, head to clickorlando.com/results2020.