American Politics Commons^™

Votes In The Balance: A Statistical Analysis Of Voting Behavior In The 2016 Presidential Election, Evan M. Carter

Harding Undergraduate Research Conference

The 2016 Presidential Election was unprecedented in its results. The predicted winner, Hillary Clinton, ended up winning the popular vote, but lost in the Electoral College count to Donald Trump. I examine voting for the winner, Donald Trump, and what factors caused people to vote for him or for another candidate. Although there are several factors that go into how people vote, I analyze demographic, geographic, and ideological predictors for why people voted the way they did. To do this, I will run a regression model on my dataset. Since my dependent variable is dichotomous, meaning there are only two …

Navigating Modernity: Political And Economic Shifts In The Nineteenth Cenutry, Austin Delsontro, Andrew Cox

Chronicles: Journal Of History

No abstract provided.

From Rhetoric To Reality: The U.S. Republican Party's Shifting Stance On Immigration, Greyson Thagard

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The Republican Party has experienced a well-documented ideological shift towards the right in the 21st century. However, significant attention has not been granted to the causes and consequences of this shift on rhetoric surrounding immigration. As immigration has become a polarizing topic in recent years, it is important to understand how the Republican Party has transformed regarding the issue. It is also important to understand what contributed to this shift. In this paper, I analyzed Republican Party platforms from 2008 to 2024 as well as selected speeches from prominent Party members at the Republican National Convention from 2008 to 2024. …

Women's Suffrage In The Cedar Valley: Professionalism And Women's Activism At The Iowa State Teachers College, 1860-1920, Amber Hoodjer

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

This presentation is titled “Women’s Suffrage in the Cedar Valley: Professionalism and Women’s Activism at the Iowa State Teachers College, 1876-1920” because in it, I will discuss the culture on the ISTC campus, attitudes towards suffrage, and how ISTC’s activism was connected to the larger community.

A Tale Of Two States: Abortion Referenda In The Aftermath Of Dobbs, Shauna Reilly, Ainsley Boggs, Tanner Freeman

The Journal of Economics and Politics

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned the access to abortion that had been established with Roe v Wade. As a result, states had autonomy to make statewide policies on this issue. Some states chose complete bans, some partial bans, and others provided continuing access to abortion. This article explores the dueling referenda of 2022 and 2023 in Kentucky and Ohio, respectively, following the Dobbs decision in 2022. Voters in both states voted to continue to permit abortion access in their states, yet access in each state is different. Using case studies, we examine the political nuances and electoral aftermath …

Resilience Against Neglect

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Violence And Artistic Resistance, Tucker Brown

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Cointelpro's Assassination Of Fred Hampton

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Flourish, Chanel Perez

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Uncovering The Covered, Matthew Ouellette

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Holding Ground In The Cerulean Tide: Minority Party Legislators' Strategies For Advancing Climate Policies In Landslide States, Sukjae Lee

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation addresses a key puzzle: Why do states sometimes adopt nationally polarized policies, such as climate change legislation, even when doing so does not align with strict partisan interests? The analysis focuses on “landslide states,” where a single party overwhelmingly dominates, and the minority party cannot realistically expect to gain a majority. In these environments, reduced partisan conflict allows minority party legislators to break from traditional partisan paths. As a result, I argue that electoral motivations drive them to signal moderation by advancing liberal policy agendas or incorporating provisions that minimize backlash from their core constituents in landslide states. …

Does Name, Image, And Likeness Increase Gender Inequality In College Athletics?, Aimee Christenson

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In June of 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association adopted its first interim policy regarding Name, Image, and Likeness. From here, college athletes have been able to benefit from opportunities regarding their brand as an athlete. While this development has been historic in its expansion of rights to athletes, it highlights the inequities between male and female athletes. Title IX requires equal opportunity for male and female students. This research raises questions about whether NIL is increasing the disparity between male and female athletes. To answer this question, I looked at NIL data collected by Kyle Ems on the NIL …

The Black Voice, Anisha Smith

Posters - 2025

With the current state of the country my research provides an overview of what respondents in 2020 felt about racial issues. Mainly focusing on comparing Black respondents to other races.

Determinants Of Voting Behavior In The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election: Issues, Demographics, And The Pandemic's Influence, Julissa Cavazos

Posters - 2025

• The 2020 election caused many shifts in how certain groups voted based on their views on several issues which is why this research is essential.

• Leading up to the election, the top issues among voters according to news sites were the state of the economy, attitudes on how the government handled the COVID-19 pandemic, and concern over the immigration crisis.

• COVID-19 was a main factor in causing individuals to vote for Joe Biden as president.

The New Antebellum: A Sociological Interpretation Of Christian Nationalism And Its Danger To Both Christianity And American Democracy, Paige R. Dickerman

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

Hate and fear have become the new American identity, plaguing social media platforms and legislation as it drips from the mouths of the citizenry. The nation has been torn apart by polarization in a continuation of the division and extremist ideology that has tormented generations of Americans since its founding. Today, Christian nationalism is at the forefront of division and extremism in its idea of a new America, defined by traditionalism, biblical law, and an end to our taken-for-granted democratic processes. Its proponents insist that America’s survival depends on Christian laws and national observance, a claim that hides the truth …

1st Place Contest Entry: "The Chip Off The Block": The 21st-Century Legacy Of Schoolhouse Rock!, Megan Lewandowski

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is Megan Lewandowski's submission for the 2025 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won first place. It contains their essay on using library resources, their bibliography, and a summary of their research project on the legacy of Schoolhouse Rock! in the 21st century.

Megan is a fourth-year student at Chapman University, majoring in Music and Psychology. Their faculty mentor is Dr. Carrie Dike.

Res Historica, Volume 4, Lynneth Miller Renberg Phd, Alpha Rho Epsilon Phi Alpha Theta

Res Historica

The 2025 journal of historical research by Anderson University students, Res Historica.

The editorial team for this edition of Res Historica was Dr. Lynneth Miller Renberg, Samuel Sanders, and Julia Ackerman. The cover art for this volume is an open access image.

Do Political Party Voter Contact & Gotv Efforts Increase Voter Turnout?, Cody Gunsalus

Political Science Theses and Capstones

While the disconnect between potential voters and those who represent them has grown, parties have spent billions of dollars and millions of hours on voter contact. My question is how effective is pre-election voter contact in increasing voter turnout? What party is most effective at voter turnout? Does the impact of voter contact differ based on education? Is it more effective depending upon age or gender? And how has it changed over time? To address these questions, I analyze National Election Studies (NES) data. The NES has surveyed the national electorate in every national election since 1948. Preliminary analysis has …

The Impact Of American Politics On Canadian Voters, Reilly Funk

Political Science Theses and Capstones

I analyze to what degree American political forces shape Canadian elections. Due to the unique economic and cultural relationship between the countries, U.S. political and policy changes impact the Canadian political landscape. I examine this relationship with a comparative study using the Canadian Election Study of the 2021 federal election. This data enables analysis of voter behaviour within a wide variety of voters. Tentative findings show that major political events within the United States, such as presidential elections and major policy shifts, have a major impact on election results in Canada. Canadian political parties consistently adjust their messaging strategies to …

Deportation And Immigration Enforcement In The United States: Analysis Of Regional And Country Variations, Exmond Ofori Sarpiah

Political Science Theses and Capstones

This study examines the motivations behind President Trump’s mass deportation policies due to the inflow of undocumented migrants from different regions in America. The study employs data visualization techniques, such as scatter plot and bar charts, to analyze regional and country variation trends in migrant removals and undocumented populations across global regions.

Campaign Finance Reform At The State Level, Darren Borsini

School of Public Policy Capstones

Should restrictions on campaign financing in the United States be laissez-faire or stringent? This debate has been had at levels as high as the Supreme Court and as wide as the legislative chambers of all fifty states. This paper aims to create a broader understanding of campaign finance reform at the state level. Specifically, this paper analyzes state-level data on campaign finance reform adoption, educational attainment, and partisan lean to determine the strength of correlations between these variables. Additionally, this paper utilizes expert knowledge gained through interviews focused on campaign finance reform with a former FPPC chair and a California …

Analyzing Public Opinion As An Input In The Systems Theory Framework By Examining The Democratic Responsiveness Of The Pennsylvania Legislature In The 2023-2024 Legislative Session, Donovan M. Villegas

Student Publications

I examine the 2023-2024 legislative session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to determine the role public opinion plays in the content of legislation. I use a public policy systems and theories framework as my main theoretical model. Using quarterly polling that identifies the top issues for voters, I find that the Pennsylvania legislature responded to those top issues. This suggests that public opinion does play an influential role in legislative action. These results are consistent with what the systems and theories framework would predict.

Melville And The Market: Literature And The Language Of Capitalism In Nineteenth-Century America, Emma Williams

History & Classics Undergraduate Theses

No abstract provided.

Harnessing Habeas Corpus: Women's Battles Against Coercive Psychiatric Institutionalization, Andy Knopik

Digital Legal Research Lab

No abstract provided.

From Civic Duties To Democratic Mandates: The Theoretical Framework Of Mill And Tocqueville On Compulsory Voting In The U.S., Olivia Claire Luttrell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the treatment of jury duty and voting in the United States through the philosophical framework of John Stuart Mill and Alexis de Tocqueville. While jury duty is legally mandated, voting remains optional, despite both civic responsibilities being foundational to democratic participation. This research explores the historical, theoretical, and practical implications of voting becoming compulsory in the United States, as it is in other democratic nations. The analysis includes a comparative case study of the impact of Australia’s mandatory voting to evaluate whether it could become compulsory in the U.S. Both philosophers offer insightful knowledge on the role …

Review Of Laboratories Of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call From Behind The Lines, Neal Allen, Philip Pfeiffer

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Supporting Lgbtq+ Youth In Disaffirming Legal Climates, Sarah Hibner-Kiperman Phd, Madeleine Reardon Ma, Caitlin Johnson M.A., Nina Michon Ma, Liz Ballinger B.A., Jesse Chen Ma, Sahar Altweej Ma, Gabriel Delong Ma

Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference

Psychologists are ethically charged with providing culture-responsive, affirming care to LGBTQ+ youth clients as legal climate continue infringing on their rights (ACLU, 2025; APA, 2023; NASP, 2020). This roundtable serves to facilitate conversation about how to support our LGBTQ+ community members seeking affirming care, when laws may limit this ability.

Mal-Information, The Anatomy Of An “Information Disorder”, Susan Maret

Secrecy and Society

Mal-information is a fairly recent addition to federal policy and the lexicon of political communication with implications for understanding censorship and secrecy during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reviews documents authored by IGOs, NGOs, and the US government that mark the evolution of mal-information as true information intended to cause harm. The term, as it is currently employed, is now associated with misinformation and disinformation to create a complex of “information disorders” known as the acronym MDM. In this paper, the creep of the term mal-information and its use by federal agencies such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency …

A Narrative Review Of The Covid-19 Infodemic And Censorship In Healthcare, Mitchell Liester, Sohaib Ashraf, Patricia Callisperis, Hector Carvallo, Shankara Chetty, Robert Enzenauer, Carlos Franco-Paredes, Raul Pineda, Panagis Polykretis, Rachel Wilkenson, Peter Mccullough

Secrecy and Society

Ideological and financial motivations have undermined science for decades. In this narrative review, we explore how organizations and governments used misinformation, disinformation, censorship, and secrecy to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Various rationales for employing censorship and secrecy during the COVID-19 pandemic are examined including how organizations and governments create confusion about the risks associated with their products and blame avoidance to shift responsibility and to avoid accountability for their actions. Methods of censorship employed during the COVID-19 pandemic are reviewed, examples are provided, and the consequences of these actions are reviewed. Information included in this review was obtained from scientific …

Covid Cover-Up: Secrecy, Censorship And Suppression During The Pandemic, Brian Martin

Secrecy and Society

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, most health authorities, governments, and mass media organizations presented a single official view concerning lockdowns, masking, distancing, and vaccines. The methods used against contrary views can be classified into four types: flooding, ignoring, censoring, and attacking. The method of information flooding involves presenting dominant views in a unified front, overwhelming contrary views by volume and consistency. The method of ignoring includes the absence of research on alternative approaches, failure to report on research contrary to orthodoxy, and not mentioning challenging views. Censoring involves active measures to prevent the circulation of contrary information and …