The Conversation

Timing, signatures and huge demand make mail-in voting difficult

Written by Luke Perry, Professor of Government, Utica College

A King County, Washington election worker verifies signatures accompanying ballots cast in the state's August primary.AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

More than 8 in 10 Americans – all voters in 43 states – will be able to vote by mail in the 2020 presidential election, the most ever. And more than 1 in 3 voters plan to actually do so.

Voting by...

Trump's appeals to white anxiety are not 'dog whistles' – they're racism

Written by Bethany Albertson, Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Trump targets white voters with hostile, angry language.hafteh7 via Pixabay

President Donald Trump’s rhetoric is often referred to as “dog whistle politics.”

In politician speak, a dog whistle is language that conveys a particular meaning to a group of potential supporters. The targeted group hears the “whistle”...

Why Teddy Roosevelt's warning to lay off a candidate's religious beliefs is still relevant today

Written by David Mislin, Assistant Professor of Intellectual Heritage, Temple University

President Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

In the 2020 campaign, President Donald Trump has used religion to attack his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.

During an August speech at an Ohio manufacturing plant, Trump suggested that Biden would harm religious interests. Linking...

Good nutrition can contribute to keeping COVID-19 and other diseases away

Written by Grayson Jaggers, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables will boost the immune system.Stevens Fremont via Getty Images

The connection between the pandemic and our dietary habits is undeniable. The stress of isolation coupled with a struggling economy has caused many of us to seek comfort with our old friends: Big Mac, Tom Collins, Ben and Jerry. But overindulging in...

Federal Reserve hopes years of zero rates will spur inflation – but there are risks

Written by Richard S. Warr, Professor of Finance, North Carolina State University

Prices tend to go up over time.SelectStock/E+ via Getty Images

In a healthy economy, prices tend to go up – a process called inflation.

While you might not like that as a consumer, moderate price growth is a sign of a growing economy. And, historically at least, wages tend to go up at about the same pace during periods of inflation.

But right...

Wildfires can leave toxic drinking water behind – here's how to protect the public

Written by Andrew J. Whelton, Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Purdue University

Debris in Paradise, California, after the Camp Fire, Nov. 17, 2018.Senior Airman Crystal Housman/U.S. Air National Guard, CC BY

Less than halfway through the 2020 wildfire season, fires are burning large swaths of the western U.S. As in previous years, these disasters have entered populated areas, damaging drinking water networks. Water systems...

Pessimists have been saying America is going to hell for more than 200 years

Written by Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino

Today's genuine pessimism about America's future has very old roots. Aaron Foster/Getty

Pessimism looms large in America today. It’s not just because of Donald Trump, the vicar of fear and violence. It’s COVID-19, a faltering economy, the growing power of Russia and China, fires and climate change – you name it.

Journalists and...

6 ways mail-in ballots are protected from fraud

Written by Charlotte Hill, Ph.D. Candidate in Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley

Election workers are part of the protections ensuring that mail-in ballots aren't fraudulent.Will Cioci/Wisconsin Watch via AP

Voter fraud is very rare, whether people vote in person or by mail. That much is clear from a large body of research.

One of us is a political scientist at the University of Washington, and the other is a former elections...

Inclusion starts with better management – here's what employees say about making diversity work

Written by Kim Brimhall, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Binghamton University, State University of New York

Diversity isn't enough.PeopleImages/E+ via Getty Images

Since the death of George Floyd in May, dozens of companies such as Apple, Estee Lauder and Facebook have vowed to increase diversity and inclusion in their workplaces.

The diversity part seems straightforward enough. But what’s meant by inclusion?

As a social work scholar, I study how...

Poll workers on Election Day will be younger – and probably more diverse – due to COVID-19

Written by Thessalia Merivaki, Assistant Professor of American Politics, Mississippi State University

With its largely white and older workers, this Portland, Oregon poll site is typical of poll sites across the U.S.Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Election officials are busily trying to recruit younger volunteers to staff the United States’ roughly 230,000 polling sites on Election Day in November.

Many...