Using ad tracking and turnout records new research from ERC affiliates Ross Dahlke and Young Mie Kim shows that microtargeted voter suppression ads decreased turnout in 2016, with the largest effects among minority voters in battleground states.
🔗https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2519944123

Do voting access reforms change how people feel about government? ERC affiliate Andrew Trexler and coauthors use a policy feedback framework to show that reforms like expanded mail voting rarely shifts political efficacy or trust overall.

Full study ➡️https://tinyurl.com/mrx5ehwm

Back in October the Elections Research Center and the @uwlawdemocracy.bsky.social hosted an expert panel on the tensions between free speech and campaign finance regulation. Check out our YouTube page for the full recording of this as well as many other ERC events!

🔗https://tinyurl.com/5m4jmvjn

Could Wisconsin run new congressional maps in 2026? Both ERC Director Barry and State Democracy Research Initiative co-director Rob Yablon spoke with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to explain the legal mechanics, timing issues, and why this fight could matter beyond Wisconsin.
🔗 tinyurl.com/4sne3spp

How do we teach students to disagree productively? A new UW–Madison feature spotlights ERC affiliate Amber Wichowsky’s course, Advancing Public Policy in a Divided America and how students can learn to practice disagreement productively.

🔗 news.wisc.edu/teaching-stu...