Michael A. Smith

Georgia’s New Voting Laws Meet Political Science

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Controversy swirls around Georgia’s new voting laws, along with similar ones in Florida, Texas, and several other states.  Passed ostensibly to control voting fraud in the wake of the huge vote-by-mail turnout last year,…


Biased? Sure. Lying, no.

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Accusations that the news media are biased are now so common as to become cliché.  Undoubtedly, the media are biased.  In fact, bias is inevitable in human decision making.  Unfortunately, one of the greatest political…


QAnon: The Conspiracy Theory Behind the Capitol Seizure

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University  On January 6, followers of former President Trump stormed and seized the United States Capitol, temporarily halting the certification of electoral votes.  Photos and news accounts of the event point to a popular…


Voter Fraud or Voter Suppression? Using Political Science to Evaluate Competing Claims

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University  This year’s contentious political climate has escalated a longstanding, partisan dispute over election laws and their enforcement.  Led by President Trump, Republicans are sounding the alarm about possible voter fraud,…


Is the Preference for Chaos a Rational Decision?

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University  Is the Preference for Chaos a Rational Decision?


Do Millennials Exist? Generations, Social Science and the Trouble With De-Bunking

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University  The host of TV’s “Adam Ruins Everything,” Adam…


How the Pandemic Became Partisan: A Story of Parties, Science and Professionals

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University  COVID-19 How did the Coronavirus…


Beyond the Hat: Will the Trump Coalition Hold in 2020?

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University  2020 Election Will President Trump’s Coalition hold…


Can Gerrymandering be Measured? Here Come the Mathematicians

By Brian Hollenbeck and Michael Smith of Emporia State University Just weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court acted to sharply limit the role of the courts with regards to partisan gerrymandering. In Rucho v. Common Cause, the Court majority upheld the Davis v. Bandemer case of 1976, reaffirming that…