Turnout is more than a number. It shapes whose voices are heard, whose interests are represented, and how public power is exercised.

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As the 2026 U.S. midterm elections approached, the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council invited participants to Voices into Votes: Why Turnout Matters Here, There, and Now, a five-part program series that examined the forces that influence whether people vote and whether elections earn public trust.

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Through local, national, and international perspectives, scholars, journalists, democracy advocates, election researchers, and public officials explored how disinformation shapes what voters believe, how democratic backsliding changes elections, why press freedom matters, who can access the ballot, and how the United States can build an election system that is more representative, accountable, accessible, and trusted.