Democracy's Data: Analytics and Insights into American Elections

In the aftermath of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, understanding the intricacies of electoral processes has become paramount. This course is a blend of political science and data analytics, focusing on the U.S. electoral system with special emphasis on the 2024 election and the upcoming midterm and local elections. History demonstrates that elections can have profound and enduring impacts — from the pivotal election of 1876, which concluded Reconstruction and reshaped the nation for a century, to the razor-thin margins of the 1960 Kennedy election and the 2000 Bush-Gore contest.

Throughout the semester, students actively engage in data collection, statistical analysis, and interpretation, applying these techniques to election trends, voter demographics, and the influence of technology on political campaigns. The course also explores how data analytics can assess the health of democracy, examining metrics such as voter turnout, electoral competitiveness, and public trust in electoral institutions. As the course progresses, students use analytical tools to make informed predictions about the 2026 midterm elections and delve into odd-year elections in various states and localities. Additional subjects include political advertising, campaign finance, media bias, partisanship, nationalization, mobilization strategies, vote suppression, election security, voter knowledge, racially polarized voting, gerrymandering, forecasting models, and public opinion polling.