Politics and Government

This week at the UW, join online events ranging in topics from population health to contempary race and politics in the United States.

On Monday afternoon, the Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams canvassed the UW campus urging folks to register for the upcoming November elections. They wore black T-shirts with a QR code that read: “Scan me. Register to vote.” UW Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Hopkins and UW student Hameir Wright are quoted. Alexes Harris, professor of sociology at the UW, is mentioned.

Alexes Harris, professor of sociology at the UW, weighs in on the divide between police and communities of color and what she says are the best ways to fix it.

The selection of a deeply conservative jurist to replace the late liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is not sitting well with some women on the Eastside. In 2016, they formed an organization in reaction to the president’s election, Plateaupians 4 Peace. This nomination has them riled up. Margaret O’Mara, professor of history at the UW, is interviewed.

Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, gives insight into how the confirmation process for the Supreme Court will work before Election Day.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains the role of environmental issues in elections.

Amazon is launching a new tool to help shoppers select items that are deemed more environmentally friendly. Products will earn the “Climate Pledge Friendly” label if they have been approved by one of 19 certification programs, including Amazon’s own Compact by Design designation. Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

With a crucial US election looming, Arts & Sciences faculty are sharing their expertise and insights through online lectures on a range of election-related topics.

While other nations invest in developing poor areas, Beijing doesn’t hesitate to operate on a more ambitious scale by moving communities, like the Yi ethnic minority, and building new towns in its effort to modernize China. Stevan Harrell, professor emeritus of anthropology at the UW, is quoted.

Strategists on opposites sides of the political aisle co-teach a course on political campaigns.Good thing they're close friends. 

Scott Lemieux, political science lecturer, explains the implications of when governance norms are broken.

"A recent survey of presidential deception found that all American presidents – from Washington to Trump – have told lies, knowingly, in their public statements. As a political philosopher, with a focus on how people try to reason together through political disagreement, I argue that not all lies are the same," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW.

"One of us is a political scientist at the University of Washington, and the other is a former elections commissioner who now studies voting laws. We can explain why voter fraud is so rare – especially for mail-in ballots," write Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, and Charlotte Hill, of the University of California Berkeley.

A 6,600-word internal memo from a fired Facebook data scientist details how the social network knew leaders of countries around the world were using their site to manipulate voters — and failed to act. Katy Pearce, associate professor of communication at the UW, is quoted.

Washington and Oregon rarely feature in presidential races. But as demonstrations against police brutality and systemic racism have continued across the country, the Pacific Northwest — the site of some of the country’s largest and most persistent protests — has taken on a narrative role in the national campaign even as it remains an electoral backwater. Jacob Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.