Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

You probably do—even if you won’t admit it. In politics, looks aren’t everything, but they’re definitely something.

• By Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

Whatever you think of its approach, Fox News has created a more conservative Congress and a more polarized electorate, according to a series of recent studies.

• By Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

Hispanics are—and will continue to be—significantly underrepresented, open primaries attract more extreme voters, and other lessons from the 14th annual State Politics and Policy Conference.

• By Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

With the way things are currently structured, most voters don’t participate in choosing the candidates that ultimately go on to represent them. But there’s a relatively easy fix.

• By Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

There are a lot of problems with our two-party system, and fixing them would require nothing less than a fundamental shift in the way politics work in this country. But there are better ways.

• By Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

People who use dating sites are choosing matches based on criteria that are highly correlated with political preferences, and social scientists fear that will go a long way toward making us less tolerant citizens.

• By Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz