Department of Political Science

After Donald Trump won the presidential election in 2016, people in liberal areas were in shock — and wondering what a Trump presidency would mean for the country. A week after the election, we asked academics to write their thoughts. With hindsight being 2020, KUOW revisits the most prescient of those pieces, including those by 10 UW faculty members.

Young people have historically driven social and political movements. The program “Student Election Connection” is channeling that engagement into votes. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed.

Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, says the increase in minority voters in Washington is due in large part to children of immigrants coming into the electorate. However, he notes that Latino and Asian American voters turn out at lower rates than African American and white voters.

The pace of voting in this year’s election is well beyond anything the state saw in 2016. After the ballot is put into a drop box, a rigorous collection process follows. James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Experts and lawmakers warn that undoing the last four years of immigration policy requires more than just a new president. Sophia Jordán Wallace, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

“Many scholars have studied various aspects of mail-in voting, looking at how secure it is, how susceptible to fraud it might be, and what voting officials need to do to handle an influx of ballots arriving by mail,” writes Jeff Inglis, The Conversation’s politics + society editor. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, and Charlotte Hill, of the University of California Berkeley, are referenced.

Mark Alan Smith, professor of political science at the UW, talks about polling in the 2016 election and what it can tell us about the 2020 election. 

“Democrats project the image of one big happy pro-climate family, united against a common foe. This has fed the expectation that the Biden administration will transform U.S. climate policy. Trump turned the climate action switch off, but Biden will turn it back on,” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

Amy Coney Barrett is facing the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, and as with many nominees, it’s difficult to get a sense of the future legal implications of her answers. Should the process be changed? Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is interviewed.

"Facebook and Twitter have already removed dozens of Russian accounts spreading disinformation. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the problem is far worse this year than in 2016. He blames the increase in foreign trolling for Trump on the weak U.S. response to the ongoing threat. Yet that’s not the whole story. No matter how cunning the trolls or relentless the bots, Russia could not reasonably expect to achieve meaningful results in the absence of an already receptive audience," write Scott Livingston at George Washington University and W. Lance Bennett, professor emeritus of political science at the UW.

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online. 

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.  Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Curating...

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, says we'd be losing an important part of the political process if the debates were canceled.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains Amazon's "Climate Pledge Friendhly" label and whether it'll impact online shopping.

How climate change and U.S.-China relations could affect the 2020 elections were top of mind last week at a University of Washington presentation. The presentation was given by Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, and Susan Whiting, an associate professor of political science at the UW.