The other day, I called for journalists to better understand basics of research methods. Politicians and political organizations sometimes make empirical claims which, when you look closely, turn out to be badly flawed. They compare the cost of an existing … Continue reading
An agenda for journalists and Maine lawmakers This column was completed the morning of the November 8, 2011 election and published the day after election day in the Bangor Daily News. Unlike you, I don’t know how the Nov. 8 … Continue reading
More research flaws in anti-election day registration study One portion of the report issued by a prominent opponent of Election Day registration in Maine involves a chart titled “More Registered Voters than Voting-Age Citizens.” This has gotten relatively little attention, … Continue reading
Two studies, two standards As the vote on Question — a referendum for which a Yes vote supports the 38-year practice of election day voter registration — draws near, the No on 1 campaign has modified its tone and … Continue reading
How to read, write on, and return papers with an iPad I’ve grown quite attached to my iPad and have found it invaluable for reading, listening to and watching many interesting things. It’s a fine device for all news junkies. … Continue reading
Thank you, Maine Housing Authority! One of my pet peeves in policy and political discussions involves comparing apples and oranges. As anyone who’s taken fourth grade math knows, this is a big no-no. This happens all over the place, … Continue reading
In polling, you get what you pay for To date, only one public poll has been released about the effort to restore Maine’s 38 year-old practice of election day registration. The effort to place additional burdens on Maine voters … Continue reading
A Guest Post by Emily Shaw From Amy Fried: I am enormously pleased to welcome Emily Shaw to this blog and thank her for this contribution. Shaw is a political scientist at Thomas College. Like a previous blog post, this … Continue reading
The September 7 Pulse/Rasmussen poll Now that the People’s Veto to bring back election day voter registration is officially on, Maine has its first public poll on the topic. (See these pdfs for results and cross-tabs.) It reports that 53% … Continue reading
