Virtual VA Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

Date: Friday, September 19, 2025

Time: 10:30am

Location: Virtual (see event flyer below for QR code)

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BehXqBjis/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/idBnTmIlRsI?si=o5VI8EhggkY-romg

Featured Guest: Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, Democratic Candidate for Virginia Governor

Hosted by: Virginia chapters of the Divine Nine Fraternities—Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.—in partnership with When We All Vote’s National Voter Registration Week of Action

Constitution Day 2025

Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Time: 12pm-2pm

Location: The Hub Side Pocket (middle level)

RSVP via Mason360: https://cglink.me/2d7/r2288147

This free event is open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the George Mason community. #freepizza

Event Description: Join Student Media as we help the Mason community celebrate the signing of the U.S. Constitution by our founders on September 17, 1787. This annual event features free food, giveaways, games and trivia, and a chance to learn more about our student-run media groups!

If you are unable to make this in-person event, Student Media has also put together a virtual resource page where you can learn more about America’s founding documents, test your knowledge about the Constitution, the First Amendment, and watch a video of Mason students, faculty, and staff sharing what “We the People…” means to them. Visit: https://studentmedia.gmu.edu/constitutionday/

2025 Wilkins Lecture: Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith on Democracy, Integrity, and the Rule of Law

Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Time: 4:30pm

Location: Harris Theater

Learn More: schar.gmu.edu/news/2025-09/2025-wilkins-lecture-former-trump-prosecutor-jack-smith-democracy-integrity-and-rule

This free event is open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the George Mason community. Doors open at 4 p.m. The lecture begins at 4:30 p.m.

Event Description: The 2025 Roger Wilkins Lecture will be delivered by former U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Special Counsel Jack Smith. The veteran prosecutor was appointed in 2022 by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate two major criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, including efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The lecture is called “Democracy, Integrity, and the Rule of Law.”

The annual Roger Wilkins Lecture, presented by George Mason’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics Program, is named in honor of the late Robinson Professor Emeritus of History and American Culture. Wilkins, a civil rights activist and first Black assistant attorney general, served under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. 

Listen Up, Patriots…It’s Time to VOTE!

By: Tiffany Boggs, Mason Votes Contributor

On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, voters in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District will head to the polls for a special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, who passed away on May 21, 2025, at the age of 75. 

Only residents of Virginia’s Virginia’s 11th Congressional District are eligible to vote in the special election. Utilize the VA Dept. of Elections’ Citizen Portal to check your voter registration status.

Polls will be open 6am–7pm on Election Day and anyone in line at 7pm will be allowed to vote. Click here to find your local polling place >

Fairfax County Sample Ballot: fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/sites/elections/files/Assets/Documents/PDF/2025_September_Special_Web.pdf

Who Are the Candidates? 

The race is between Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw (D) and Stewart Whitson (R), Senior Director of Federal Affairs at the Foundation of Government Accountability (FGA).

Walkinshaw previously served as chief of staff to the late Rep. Connolly and was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2019. According to his campaign website: “I’m running for Congress to stop Trump’s dangerous agenda and deliver for Fairfax.”

Whitson, a U.S. Army veteran, previously served as a supervisory special agent in the FBI’s Directorate of Intelligence. According to his campaign website: “Stewart will help President Trump restore common sense and get the country back on-track.“

Read more the candidates and their policy positions:

• James Walkinshaw (D): jameswalkinshaw.org
• Stewart Whitson (R): whitsonforcongress.com

Can I Vote Early? 

Yes! Residents of Virginia’s 11th Congressional District can vote early through September 6th.

Click here to find early voting locations >

For mail-in ballots to be counted, they must be postmarked by September 9th and received by noon on September 12th.  

Voting on Election Day? 

Voters must visit their assigned polling place to cast their ballots between the hours of 6am-7pm to make the final decision. Click here to find your local polling place >

Your George Mason University Student Photo ID is welcomed on Election Day! Vote using either your physical Mason ID card OR electronic Mason Mobile ID. Voters will be asked to present an acceptable form of ID when voting in person or sign an affidavit certifying their identification. Click here to learn more about acceptable voter ID in Virginia >

If you missed the September 2nd special election voter registration deadline, you can take advantage of “same-day registration” and vote on Election Day with a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are not processed by a vote counting machine at the time of voting, but rather are subject to approval by the local electoral board prior to the ballot being counted. Click here to learn more about same-day voter registration and provisional ballots >

If you are already registered to vote in Virginia, you can verify your status and find your polling place using the Citizen Portal: vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation

Mason Students living in Virginia are encouraged to check their eligibility and make their voices heard in this special election!

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James Walkinshaw Photo Credit: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/braddock/about-supervisor-walkinshaw

Stewart Whitson Photo Credit: https://www.whitsonforcongress.com/

Pizza & Perspectives: Conservatism at Crossroads

Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Time: 6:00-7:15pm

Location: Mason Square Campus, Fuse Conference Center Room 1311

RSVP via Mason360: https://cglink.me/2d7/r2285551

Food Provided (free pizza @ 5:30pm!)

RSVP is required to attend the event.

The event will also be livestreamed on the Schar School YouTube page.

Event Description: Join us for a Pizza & Perspectives conversation with 48th Vice President Mike Pence, hosted by Dean Mark J. Rozell. Co-sponsored by University Life Mason Square and the Schar School of Policy and Government, this event will feature insights on leadership, public service, and today’s politics – followed by audience Q&A, free pizza, and networking opportunities. “Pizza & Perspectives” is an ongoing discussion series hosted by University Life Mason Square. It brings together students, faculty, alumni, and sometimes community members across disciplines to engage in thoughtful, rational dialogue on timely and meaningful topics. And yes—there’s free pizza to help draw people in and create a casual, inviting atmosphere.

Hosted by: University Life Mason Square | Website | View More Events
Co-hosted with: Schar School of Policy and Government

University Life Hosts Pizza & Perspectives Post-Election Event

By: Emma Schaible, Fourth Estate Staff Writer

This story was originally published on gmufourthestate.com. Fourth Estate is Mason’s official student-run newspaper.

On Nov. 11, University Life at Mason Square, in partnership with Mason Votes and the Schar School of Policy and Government, continued the tradition of hosting “Pizza & Perspectives.” The collaborating organizations provided free pizza and hosted a panel to discuss major news stories happening at a national level. The panel topic was the results of the 2024 presidential election, with four panelists exploring key factors that capped critical moments in Virginia and national politics.

The panel consisted of one moderator and three panelists. “A political scientist by training” and Dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government Mark J. Rozell served as moderator. Within Rozell’s line of questioning to panelists, there was an overarching question on whether the election signified a party realignment.

The first to respond was associate professor Jennifer Victor. Victor’s expertise comes in analyzing the United States Congress, legislative organization and behavior and more. Currently, Victor also runs the First-Year Democracy Lab, a Schar School learning community. Victor argued that it was still too close to the 2024 election in order to have a confident consensus. “Liberals were Democrats, conservatives were Republicans…that sounds like a normal way to organize politics, but it’s not.” Victor said that the current system in which American politics are organized is unstable.

Former member of the House of Delegates David Ramadan continued this dialogue, speaking on how voters perceived several key issues this election cycle. Ramadan is currently a Professor of Practice in the Schar School. While the economy was one of the biggest issues for many voters this year, he discussed how the United States currently has one of the best economies in history, with the stock market at its highest and unemployment at its lowest.

Ramadan said that many working-class Americans stepped away from the Democratic Party because they failed to recognize issues that were important to the working class and other subpopulations.

Professor Victor discussed the pattern of characteristics for winning presidential campaigns as seen for nearly the last 60 years. She said that these patterns have nothing to do with candidates, but circumstances. Included were the characteristics of the approval rating of the sitting party, the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) and length of time the incumbent party has been in office. Overall implying that Vice President Kamala Harris had the cards stacked against her.

The third panelist, former Gov. of Virginia Terry McAuliffe, commented on the trifecta that has been developing in the federal government, as Republicans were projected to win both houses of Congress. Many political analysts believe that the Republicans winning both houses of Congress and the presidency will be a great test of political efficiency.

The panel was then opened to receiving questions from the audience. Members including undergraduates, graduate students and community members from Arlington asked questions ranging from changes the presidency will make in education to the role of misogyny in American elections.

The panel closed with each panelist giving their own advice to the audience on where Americans need to go from here. Professor Victor encouraged everyone to read the news and get involved in the community, saying “building community is building democracy… that is the fabric of where democracy really happens.”

“You’re going to win some. You’re going to lose some. Don’t ever despair. Stay engaged,” McAuliffe said. Ramadan closed out the discussion by asking everyone to call out misinformation and reach across political lines to make friends.

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Photo by: Emma Schaible/Fourth Estate

2024 Presidential Election Debrief

Watch the live stream via YouTube or RSVP using the link below to participate in person at Mason Square.

Date: Monday, November 11, 2024

Time: 6:00-7:15pm

Live Stream Link:  https://www.youtube.com/live/jdNTVmhdfpI?si=pGsvZhohh6MFu0VX

Location: Mason Square Campus, Van Metre Hall Room 125 & 126

Mason360 RSVP Link: https://cglink.me/2d7/r2275170

Food Provided (free pizza!)

This event is open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community.

Event Description: Join us for a vital panel discussion on the 2024 election, exploring the key factors shaping this critical moment in Virginia and national politics. Expert panelists will analyze the current political climate and the potential impact of the 2024 Presidential election. Enjoy free pizza while gaining valuable insights and connect with fellow attendees!

Panelists:

Dean Mark J. Rozell: Mark J. Rozell is the founding dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.

Jennifer Victor: Jennifer Nicoll Victor is an associate professor of political science at George Mason University’s Schar School Policy and Government.

Honorable David Ramadan: David Ramadan is a seasoned executive and international consultant with more than 25 years of advocacy, business, and government relations experience. David Ramadan served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates (2012-16).

Honorable Terry McAuliffe: As the 72nd Governor of Virginia (2014-2018), distinguished Visiting Professor Terry McAuliffe brings a lifetime of progressive political experience and successful economic development to the Schar School of Policy and Government classrooms.

Mason Students Turn Out to Vote On Campus

Photos by: Mitchell Richtmyre, Mason Votes Photographer

The Mason community turned out to Merten Hall on Tuesday, November 5th in large numbers to cast their ballots and enjoy some “Election Day Fun,” including music, food, exit polls, rock painting, yard games, and more.

Merten Hall is the home of Fairfax’s University Precinct, the local polling place for residential students and nearby residents.

Student Media was on site conducting voter exit surveys and handing out free donuts, while Student Involvement, Student Government, and the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning (CECIL) worked together to create a celebratory atmosphere for those who tuned out to vote and participate in this historic election.

While the results are not yet known, Election Day voter turnout at Merten Hall was brisk and energy was high among the students, faculty, and staff that showed up to exercise their civic duty.

If you haven’t yet cast your ballot, there is still time! Polls in Virginia close at 7:00pm and anyone still in line when the polls close will still be allowed to vote.

2024 Election Day @ Mason Photo Gallery:

Click on any image below to enlarge!

Photos below by: Alissa Karton