In an op-ed in Tuesday’s New York Times, Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York called for an end to partisan primaries and the implementation of a top-two system nationwide, asserting that such a change would lessen the historic level of polarization between Democrats and Republicans. … Here’s the problem […] Read more »
Black Southern Voters, Poised to Play a Historic Role
… Nearly five decades after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, black voters in the South are poised to play a pivotal role in this year’s midterm elections. If Democrats win the South and hold the Senate, they will do so because of Southern black voters. The timing — […] Read more »
Why women are far more likely to vote than men
In their denouncements of the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats have been accused of pandering to single women — the so-called “Beyoncé voter” demographic, as one Fox News commentator sniggered. But you know what? If you were running for office, you’d be wooing us single […] Read more »
Video: Likely Voters – You Have a Right to Know
In the latest “You Have a Right to Know” webisode, Darrell Bricker, Global CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, looks at political polling including the differences between gen pop, eligible, likely, and true voters, methods of dealing with non-voters, and the pros and cons of various models used in political polling. […] Read more »
Economic Pessimism Is Bigger Threat to Democrats
Among the most intractable problems for Democrats this cycle is the drop-off problem. Simply put, Democratic base voters (unmarried women, younger people, and minorities), don’t show up to vote in mid-terms. Meanwhile, the GOP base – namely older, white voters – do. There’s now a steady amount of evidence that […] Read more »
Political Participation of LGBT Americans
Until recently, little was known about the participation of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people in American democracy. Historically, most of the national surveys and polls have failed to ask identifying questions on sexual orientation, making it difficult for researchers to track down participation trends among this population. This situation, […] Read more »