Partisan election administrators don't tip the scales
In the aftermath of the 2020 election, local elec…
An episode of the The Science of Politics podcast, hosted by Niskanen Center, titled "Partisan election administrators don't tip the scales" was published on September 20, 2023 and runs 52 minutes.
September 20, 2023 ·52m · The Science of Politics
Summary
In the aftermath of the 2020 election, local election officials became objects of unfounded conspiracy theories and attacks. But local clerks, even those elected in partisan elections, do make and implement key decisions about voting opportunities and election procedures. Do they tip the scales to favor their party? Daniel Thompson finds that electing a Democrat vs. a Republican as a county clerk does not affect subsequent election results or turnout. Thompson says reasonable concerns about the partisan effects of election law changes often do not materialize in real advantages.