A compendium of Miller-McCune.com coverage of issues surrounding voting and the upcoming election.
Report: Vendor Control Undermines Elections (Aug. 19)
Nonprofit group claims vote-counting machine vendors are the ones in control during some elections.
States Illegally Purged Voters, Advocates Contend (Aug. 14)
In June, Miller-McCune reported on barriers to the ballot box. Included in the myriad ways you could be barred from voting is having your name taken off the rolls because of a change of address.
Texas Sticks With Problem Voting Machines (Aug. 5)
After legislative hearings into the state’s voting machines, lawmakers won’t make changes anytime soon.
Voting Rules Create Land of Disenchantment (Aug. 1)
Advocacy groups are battling New Mexico’s strict voter registration laws as election looms.
Whistleblower Details Ohio Voting Red Flags (July 28)
Attorneys contesting the results of the Ohio 2004 election released details of how they say operatives linked to the White House may have hacked the computer programs used to tally the votes in Ohio in 2004 and Florida in 2000.
The Wheel of Political Fortune Keeps Spinning (July 28)
Democrats may be ascendant now, but don’t expect permanence. One recent study gives them about 13 years in power.
The Perils of the Poll Position (July 24)
Political consultant Don Rose cautions against reading too much into polls, especially this early in the presidential contest.
Nastier, Noisier, Costlier — and Better (July 14)
Why letting judges speak out during political campaigns enhances democracy and serves justice
Court Upholds ‘No Match, No Vote’ Law (July 3)
Last month, Miller-McCune reported on barriers to the ballot box. Florida stood out, having been named by a coalition of voting rights groups as the state most hostile to voters. A federal court last week helped solidify that distinction with a ruling that could result in thousands of Floridians showing up to the polls in November to find their names…
Older Voters Are Not Always Wiser Voters (June 16)
Once people hit 70, their ability to evaluate candidates declines. As the population continues to age, could this be a problem?
Voter ID Dampens, Yes, But Does It Work? (June 10)
More research suggests that voter ID laws depress voter turnout among minority populations and the elderly, although the authors conclude in their study of Georgia’s decade-old (but recently tweaked) law that social scientists really need to look at voter fraud and whether voter ID works.
Campaigns Edging Onto Prime Time (June 9)
Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama both appeared in taped messages on the Lifetime drama series Army Wives last night.
So How Did Clinton Endorse Obama? (June 9)
UPDATE: Although Sen. Hillary Clinton officially endorsed her Democratic Party rival Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday, mentioning his name 14 times in her speech, the gesture was seen as lacking enthusiasm by some observers.
What Barriers Stand in Your Way to the Polls? (June 4)
The methods are far less conspicuous than fire hoses and more legally ambiguous than poll taxes and literacy tests.’
Cuba Libre? (May 19)
Democrats are challenging Republican incumbents in three “Cuban” congressional districts in South Florida. Could the campaigns foreshadow a shift in presidential politics or Cuba policy?
Faulty Machines Ready to Count Your Vote (May 12)
Based on scientific research, we have a clearer picture of just how vulnerable our American voting system really is.
Survey: ‘Too Much’ Election Coverage (May 2)
The media devotes too much attention to the White House race, Americans say in a just-released survey.
Supremes: Theoretical Fraud Trumps Real Burdens (April 28)
In January, as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about Indiana’s voter identification law, we noted research that suggested such laws reduce voting across the board. This reduction occurred even though such laws don’t statistically depress registration. That the reduction occurred across all demographics was a tad surprising, since voter ID efforts…
Will America or the Media Decide? (April 28)
As the White House race rolls on, issues such as Iraq and the economy are taking a backseat lately to more important issues.
Hillary Clinton as Tragic Figure (April 1)
Playwrights function quite differently from pundits, but Jon Robin Baitz manages to fill both roles quite nicely, as his most recent entry at The Huffington Post demonstrates.
Absent Ballots (March 4)
Long on promise, short on action, Latinos have never been a definitive force at the polls. Will immigration rhetoric and an unprecedented voter-outreach program make 2008 different?
In Setting Primaries, It’s Better to Be First (Feb. 6)
Researchers suggest the rush to the front of the primary line may be the best strategy, while grouping together with your neighbors isn’t nearly as useful.
Lies and Campaign Advertising (Jan. 29)
Negative campaign ads are good for us. Despite our claims that we detest them, research shows we eat them up.
Linking Biology and Political Behavior (Jan. 4)
Successive waves of the study of politics have had one thing in common: They have ignored the behavior of those ordinary biological organisms known as people.
