Knit Democracy Together

Recent elections have been plagued by allegations of voter fraud and there is growing distrust in the legitimacy of our democratic institutions. Knit Democracy Together, a project created by Eve Jacobs-Carnahan, will demystify the electoral process and your rights as a voter as it engages citizen crafters in building a collaborative sculpture of the New Hampshire State House. 

At each event, artist and former election lawyer Eve Jacobs-Carnahan will give a nonpartisan presentation and lead a discussion about the electoral system, highlighting variations in state election rules across the country. Attendees will gain confidence in recognizing and responding to misinformation to prepare for the 2024 presidential election.  

More than a lecture or discussion session, attendees will contribute to a collaborative sculpture of the New Hampshire State House made of the knitted and crocheted pieces stitched at each of the six circles around the state, a visual representation of individuals’ participation in lawmaking and the democratic process. In June, the completed sculpture will be unveiled and publicly exhibited at the NH State Library in Concord, alongside participants’ stories about voting and participating in the electoral process. 

Materials will be provided. No prior knitting or crocheting experience needed. 

Sculpture Assembly Workshop

Saturday, May 18, 10:00 am-noon, noon-2:00 pm, 2:00-4:00 pm
Elegant Ewe Yarn Shop, 75 S. Main Street, Concord  
Register for 5/18

(Glue and other tools will be provided, but if you have a favorite darning needle or scissors it would be helpful to bring them.)

Exhibit Opening

Thursday, June 13 at 1:00 pm
NH State Library, 20 Park Street, Concord

Register for 6/13

Contributing to the Sculpture

*If you'd like to participate in Knit Democracy but are not able to attend one of the events, The Elegant Ewe at 75 South Main Street in Concord has generously offered to collect knitted pieces to be contributed to the NH State House sculpture. 

Knitting/crochet instructions and information about where to mail your finished square.  

Resources

Books:

Gilda Daniels, Uncounted: The Crisis of Voter Suppression in America

Heather Gerken, The Democracy Index

Richard Hasen, Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons our Politics and How to Cure It

Eric Holder, Our Unfinished March

Timothy Snyder, The Road to Unfreedom

Research Reports:

American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century (2020)

The National Commission on Federal Election Reform, To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process (2021)

Reference websites:

National Conference of State Legislatures 

Ballotpedia 

Atlas of Redistricting, a project of Five Thirty Eight 

Audio:

Slate, Amicus: Law, Justice and the Courts 

FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast (esp. episodes 12/25/23, 12/28/23, 1/1/24 on primaries)

WBUR, On Point "Could ranked choice voting take the poison out of politics?"

Videos:

Michigan Secretary of State, MI Vote Counts: What happens after the polls close on August 2?

MPR News (Minnesota), How does ranked choice voting work?

Eve Jacobs-Carnahan speaking with Dan Wise

Election reform groups:

National Popular Vote Explains the national popular vote interstate compact that has been joined by 17 states so far, how it would work and the impact it could have on elections.

Fair Vote An explanation of ranked choice voting and proportional representation. Explains how these systems work, describes experiences of using them in cities and states in the U.S., and answers lots of questions.

States United. Pipartisan group supporting election officials.

Brennan Center for Justice Studies and recommends policies on voting, systems, election integrity & security, and gerrymandering and representation

Protect Democracy 

About the facilitator

Prior to becoming a full-time visual artist, Eve Jacobs-Carnahan served as a lawyer in the Vermont Attorney General’s Office where she specialized in election law. She was the lead trial attorney defending Vermont’s campaign finance law in Randall v. Sorrell, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006.  Eve makes narrative sculptures incorporating knitting. Using the comforting quality of yarn and the charming attraction of birds, her sculptures tell allegorical stories about society. Her artwork is featured in Astounding Knits! 101 Spectacular Knitted Creations and Daring Feats by Lela Nargi (Voyageur Press 2011). She gives talks on the history of knitted art and the use of knitting by artists engaged in social action.  Eve was named a 2021 Creative Community Fellow New England by National Arts Strategies and the Barr Foundation. She earned a B.A. with Honors from Swarthmore College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago.

Learn more at www.knitdemocracy.org.  

Knit Democracy Together is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities' United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture initiative.