The MIT Election Data and Science Lab established the New Initiatives in Election Science Grants in 2017 to encourage new approaches to the scientific study of elections and election reform. Each year, these grants fund systematic research on the conduct of elections in the United States by scholars around the country.

We are proud to be co-sponsoring this conference for the second year.

David Kimball is professor and interim chair of Political Science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. His research has examined the impact of ballot design, voting equipment, voter ID laws, and voting rules on voting behavior. He has also examined the challenge of administering elections in local jurisdictions of widely different sizes.

Lisa Schur received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley and a J.D. from Northeastern University. Her research in the area of election science focuses on the barriers and facilitators to voting among people with disabilities, including polling place accessibility, and the importance of voting for political and social inclusion.

Rachael V. Cobb, Ph.D. is Chair and Associate Professor of Government at Suffolk University. Cobb specializes in U.S. elections, election administration and political participation. In 2006, Cobb received a grant from the EAC to establish the University Pollworkers Project. Cobb serves on the board of MassVOTE and the Boston Election Advisory Committee.

Stephen Ansolabehere is Professor of Government at Harvard University. He is an expert in public opinion and elections, and has published extensively on elections, mass media, and representation, political economy, and public opinion, especially concerning energy and the environment.

State Election Landscapes provides a comprehensive overview of how elections are conducted in the six Great Lakes States: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.