Senior researcher for elections and voting @GoldmanSchool, VP @OaklandEthics Commission, co-founder @FixOurHouse, columnist @DemocracyDocket, mom & artist
Nov 1, 2022 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
In our new op-ed, @leedrutman and I argue that swing voters have far too much power in our elections—and we can fix this with a straightforward (and constitutional!) policy change. nytimes.com/2022/11/01/opi…
A thread:
The media often portrays swing voters as moderate. But more often, they’re a combination of politically disengaged voters and people with atypical—sometimes extreme—positions.
Jan 19, 2022 • 17 tweets • 6 min read
On this most fateful of days for US democracy, I want to lay out an argument for why we should keep trying to pass comprehensive voting right legislation—rather than, as some pundits are arguing, shift focus entirely to Electoral Count Act reform.
A thread:
American democracy is facing a three-part crisis: voter suppression, partisan gerrymandering, and election subversion. Each part threatens to entrench minority rule for decades to come.
Jul 15, 2021 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Some people think voter suppression doesn't matter. Why? Because voter ID laws targeted at Black voters sparked sufficient backlash to have only modest (if any) effects on turnout, at least in the short term.
But my research suggests this backlash effect won't always hold.
I looked at what happens when you inform folks about new attempts to suppress turnout—not among Black voters, but among *young* voters. (We know that youth suppression is on the rise—it just hasn't been as well-documented yet.)
The short answer: we don't see much backlash.
Jun 14, 2021 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
My new paper with @adam_bonica@JakeMGrumbach and @hakeemjefferson is up at Electoral Studies. Our key finding: All-mail voting in Colorado increased turnout by between 5.8 and 8.2 percentage points! sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
The biggest gains were for low-propensity voters: young people, blue-collar workers, folks with less formal education, and voters of color. In other words, letting people vote by mail can reduce turnout inequalities in a real way.
Apr 3, 2021 • 17 tweets • 4 min read
The idea that making voting easier *won't* improve turnout is one of political science's worst takes. (And to be clear, many political scientists don't buy it.)
Cohn claims that so-called "convenience reforms" don't boost turnout, because 1) voting actually isn't that hard for most people, and 2) reforms mostly help high-turnout voters. He also highlights that voting restrictions can anger and energize Dems, thereby *increasing* turnout.
Jan 21, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
If Senate Republicans need, at some point in the future, to abolish the filibuster in order to increase their political power, they will. Doesn't matter if Democrats do it first.
Two things: 1) The GOP has radicalized (and is still radicalizing) on its willingness to break democratic norms and subvert or eliminate political institutions. Don't expect restraint where you've seen it in the past. Old McConnell was bad; future McConnell is worse.
Jan 15, 2021 • 15 tweets • 3 min read
H.R. 1, the @HouseDemocrats' new election reform bill, has been released. My last thread looked at some major election access provisions. This thread will tackle territorial rights, redistricting, & election security. (Here's my previous thread:
.)
Again, these are some of the pieces I find most interesting; for a full list of provisions, read the legislation here: congress.gov/bill/117th-con…
Jan 13, 2021 • 28 tweets • 5 min read
The @HouseDemocrats have released the newest version of H.R. 1, the For The People Act of 2021. Here's a thread highlighting some especially exciting provisions on voting access. (You can read the bill for yourself here: congress.gov/bill/117th-con….)
H.R. 1 is broken into 3 sections: voting, campaign finance, and ethics. This thread will focus on *just one part* of the voting section. Let's go.
Nov 5, 2020 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
America needs national standards for fair, secure, and consistent elections—but we can’t stop there. We need a nonpartisan Federal Elections Agency to enforce the law. I argue this alongside @leedrutman in my latest @nytopinion piece: nytimes.com/2020/11/05/opi…
To ensure the agency wouldn’t be used for partisan gain, we put in numerous safeguards, including a nonpartisan nominating committee, House confirmation, strong conflict of interest provisions and penalties, and more. See the full proposal:
nytimes.com/2020/05/04/opi… /1
The coronavirus pandemic means voting in person is far less safe. Many states are considering all-mail voting instead, where every voter gets mailed a ballot. Colorado, which adopted mail voting in 2013, is the gold standard. /2
