MADISON, WI (October 22, 2026) — Americans are heading into one of the most
consequential midterm elections in recent memory. With control of Congress hanging in the
balance, a deeply divided electorate, and new technologies reshaping how voters gather
information, the 2026 election is about far more than individual candidates and races. Join
UW Now Live for a timely conversation on the forces shaping the midterms and what they
reveal about the future of American politics.
Key questions we’ll discuss include: 
 What is the current electoral landscape, and how does it compare to historical
patterns? 
 Which issues and races could determine control of Congress? 
 How are AI, prediction markets, and social media changing elections? 
Join the Wisconsin Alumni Association online on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. CDT. Mike
Knetter will moderate this live discussion.
Featured Speakers:
Barry Burden, PhD — Lyons Family Chair in Electoral Politics at UW-Madison and director
of the UW Elections Research Center
Ross Dahlke, PhD — assistant professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
at UW-Madison 
To watch live and chat with guests, please take one minute to register, and you’ll be sent a
link to watch the program. If you can’t tune in on the night of the show, we’ll send you a link
to the recorded version following the event. To watch past programs, check out the
Wisconsin Alumni Association YouTube channel.