SURF Mentoring

Potential projects/topics: 1, Election Day vote centers in Harris County, Texas. The study will focus on identifying the optimal number, location, staffing and equipping of Election Day voter centers. 2. Analysis of a national survey of poll workers. The study focuses on the determinants of working the polls in the 2022 and 2024 midterm and Presidential elections. 3. Social context of voting. The study focuses on where, when and how (in-person early, Election Day or mail) voters cast their ballots and their preferences for how they cast their ballots e.g., at locations near their home, work, travel, with others like themselves.

Potential skills gained: Basic statistical skills, knowledge of R, Stata, SPSS or other statistical packages.

Required qualifications: Introductory course in statistics

Direct mentor: Faculty/P.I.

Mentored presenters may have participated in these courses

POLI 406

HONS 471

Student Project Titles List

¡Vota!: Testing the Impact of Spanish-Language Ballots on Election Results and Preferences

Less Money, More Problems: Evaluating Bail Reform in Harris County

Early Voting and the Contingency Model of Voter Turnout in the 2018 Texas State Senate District 6 Special Election

The Great Awakening: How and Why the Q-Anon Conspiracy Theory Motivates Voters