Voting and elections

Micah Altman wins Pizzigati PrizeMIT Libraries’ research director recognized for his work with DistrictBuilder software

Nate Silver presents forecasting work as antidote to ‘terrible’ political punditsIn MIT talk, celebrated election forecaster offers critique of media, advice to students and hints about his future projects.

3 Questions: Charles Stewart ranks the voting systems in the 50 statesA new Pew Center project, spurred by MIT research, studies how well states run their elections.

Devin Caughey: Straddling the divide between qualitative and quantitative eras of political science

MIT Libraries’ research contributes to award-winning redistricting software, DistrictBuilderWeb-based resource gives citizens the opportunity to participate in the redistricting process.

Explained: Margin of errorWhen you hear poll results reported with a certain margin of error, that’s only part of the story.

F. Daniel Hidalgo: it’s electricThe influence of electronic ballots on democracy in the developing world

Scholars ponder better ways to elect a presidentNational popular vote, alternate voting methods debated at MIT conference.

The state of the U.S. election systemNew report from MIT and Caltech notes gains in voting-machine technologies, but warns they could be cancelled out by errors introduced through mail and Internet voting.

Christopher Warshaw: Mapping a Democracy

3 Questions: Charles Stewart sizes up the 2012 electionMIT political scientist and voting expert weighs in on the state of the presidential campaign, the shifting demographics of America, and the tossup U.S. Senate races.

Working for her country

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.

Sloan student elected to Cambridge City CouncilCheung made history on Nov. 3 as first university student and first Asian American on council

3 Questions: Charles Stewart on voting survey

Taxes and the economyMIT experts assess the candidates' differences