Voting and elections

Andrea Campbell: Public opinion and policy viewed through an historical lensProfessor studies taxation, Social Security, health insurance and more.

3 Questions: Adam Berinsky on the unpredictable GOP campaignPolitical scientist who studies public opinion assesses a campaign with wildly fluctuating polls.

3 Questions: Michael Piore on labor disputes at the ballot boxLabor economist sizes up the impact and meaning of this week’s high-profile Ohio referendum to restore collective bargaining rights for public employees.

What it takes to make every vote countMIT hosts Voting Technology Project conference to reinvigorate public discussion on election integrity.

Face valueStudy shows that low-information voters are most likely to be swayed by candidates’ appearances.

3 Questions: Michael Greenstone on deficit spendingAs deficit hawks appear poised for victory at the polls, the MIT economics professor presents the case for more spending on infrastructure and R&D.

Looks like a winnerMIT political scientists demonstrate how much candidate appearances affect election outcomes, globally.

3 Questions: Charles Stewart reads the tea leavesThe head of MIT’s Department of Political Science analyzes Tuesday’s election results and sees reason for concern for Obama and the Democrats

Cryptographic voting debutsA new system for ensuring accurate election tallies, which MIT researchers helped to develop, passed its first real-world test last Tuesday.