UMBC's Social Sciences Forum presents the annual Constitution Day Lecture, featuring Jared DeMarinis, administrator of the Maryland State Board of Elections. The speaker will give remarks and answer questions about the challenges to election administration and integrity posed by political misinformation, ideological polarization, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

On September 1, 2023, Jared DeMarinis became Maryland’s State Administrator of Elections after the unanimous selection by the bipartisan 5-member State Board of Elections. Previously, he served for 18 years as the Director of Candidacy and Campaign Finance. In that position, he took a proactive approach to election administration in campaign finance making Maryland a model state for the use of new technologies by campaigns, campaign disclosure and enforcement. DeMarinis has served as an election observer in various countries such as Estonia, North Macedonia, and Armenia. He has been published in The New York Times for a piece on texting campaign contributions, written a book on the history of the Electoral College in Maryland and presented at national conferences on important election issues including deep fakes, regulating online campaign ads, and enforcement of campaign finance laws.

DeMarinis understands the number one external challenge facing the elections and election administration today is dis- or misinformation. He and the staff at the State Board are the trusted source for electoral information and actively work to combat its spread. He has a law degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark and a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University.

Admission is free.

This event is organized by the Department of Political Science and co-sponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship.