Senator Dick Durbin and Secretary Ray LaHood came to Illinois State University to speak in the Democracy Dialogues Kick Off Event on Tuesday.
The event was created to encourage conversations among all generations, especially young people, to engage in and have awareness in the political climate in the United States.
Some of the topics in the event included the recently passed bill SAVE Act, tariffs and helping college students gain a better understanding of politics.
LaHood said in the discussion, “We need to have more discussion about our government; how it works, the constitution, so people may have an understanding.”
Community members were able to ask questions with one member asking what to do when people are worried about the political decisions in the country. LaHood’s advice is to get involved.
One of the discussions focused on how supporters of the SAVE Act felt it would make voting safer and more secure, which Durbin disagrees with. “I think we can dream up a lot of ways to stop people from voting. But until we demonstrate that we are dealing with a situation of real fraud and real dishonesty, then let’s not make it more difficult for people to vote.”
The Democracy Dialogues are hosted by many partners in the community, including the Mclean County Museum of History, ISU, WGLT, The Dirksen Congressional Center and others.
The next event will take place at the Bone Student Center on Saturday, February 28.