Taubman Center program researches shifting election policies, turnout

Student-led initiative launched last semester studies voting rights, demographics

BY OWEN DAHLKAMP SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Wendy Schiller, professor of political science and director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, announced a new student-led voting rights research program in September 2022. The initiative analyzes voter turnout data to “figure out who voted and how (changing election policies) might have … oppressed voter turnout, and in some cases, expanded voting turnout,” Schiller said in an interview with The Herald.

The program is part of Schiller’s overarching goal to transform the Taubman Center into a “one-stop shopping center for American politics for Brown and the greater community.”

Othniel Harris, who was named the voting rights program manager, joined the Taubman Center in June after analyzing election policies and voting rights in North Carolina for the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign.

Harris’ experience working on the campaign exposed him to U.S. election law, skills he plans to use while overseeing the Taubman Center’s new program. “I take that knowledge, and I put it into the project and basically disseminate that to the research assistants.”

The research team consists of four undergraduate students and one student pursuing a master’s in public administration.

“I was having a hard time finding opportunities that interested me that kind of aligned with what I was studying,” said Mia Hamilton ’25, one of the undergraduate researchers. “It was a

DANCE FROM PAGE 1 outfit color palette and combinations that underlined movements like assembled lines, linked arms and embraces. But dancers were also able to display their individual talents through the many solo and duet moments within each piece.

“Mirage” included a collaboration piece with IMPULSE Dance Company: “it is a love story baby just say yes,” choreographed by Ming-May Hu ’23. Illuminated by hot pink stage lights, members of Fusion and IMPULSE joined great opportunity.”

The research team is analyzing the 2022 midterm elections. Although researchers are still waiting on more detailed voter demographic data, initial results showed that decreasing turnout among minority voter populations are likely a result of changing election poliices.

Each student researched one electorally competitive state with recently changed voting policies. Schiller encouraged them to “really look at the effects (of these state policies) on underrepresented communities.”

The first semester of research involved “diving into the legislation in the books and waiting for the midterm to unfold,” said Logan Danker ’24. Now, the team is analyzing voting patterns in the wake of the 2022 midterm elections.

Danker’s research focused on Georgia’s shifting signature matching policy, which invalidated signatures on mail-in ballots that did not exactly match the signature on the voters’ absentee ballot for a dance-off style performance, with each group’s respective styles complementing the other’s.

The show also featured two interludes where several Fusion members recreated well-known dance numbers from Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII halftime show performance and the “Jingle Bell Rock” scene from “Mean Girls.” “Mirage” concluded with a collective piece choreographed by Fusion’s graduating seniors.

Preparation for the show began in the fall and carried over into the spring, according to Company Manager Caitlin

“It’s always tough to win on the road, so I was proud of the way we responded when Columbia made their runs.” threw it,” Wojcik wrote in a message to the Herald. “I’m lucky it worked.”

The Bears led the Lions by only two in the 12th minute of the second half, but Wojcik quickly widened the gap, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring. Wojcik then scored an and-one, stealing the ball from the Lions the following play to take a seven-point lead.

The only thing on his mind was “just to stay composed and to make plays that help my team win,” he wrote.

Bruno managed to seal the victory down the stretch, winning 84-73.

“I’m mostly just proud of the way we closed out the game,” Wojcik wrote.

Wojcik spearheaded the victory, tallying 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists while shooting an efficient 7-9 from the field. Lilly Jr. contributed 23 points, drilling two three-pointers. Owusu-Anane left with an injury in the second half but managed to score 13 points and grab eight rebounds in his 15 minutes of playing time.

Cooley continued to bring his energy to the team, grabbing four offensive rebounds and playing strong defense.

“We knew coming in that our season was at stake, and that this was a big game,” he wrote. “I just chose to embrace the moment and just be as locked in as I could be for myself and applications.

Danker also examined changes in ballot drop box locations. In 2021, Georgia passed election legislation that, among other measures, decreased the number of absentee ballot drop box locations, especially in minority-populated urban areas.

“This legislation could be harmful or disenfranchise members of certain groups,” Danker said. “It just disproportionately affected the ballots of people of color.”

Hamilton’s analysis focused on Texas legislation, including an “exact match policy” that increased the required amount of identification information, the application process for mail-in ballots and the inability of election officials

Carty ’23. Carty added that the performance’s tech week went surprisingly well, with “everyone pulling their weight” and the company being “early on schedule.”

Li said that, despite the challenges of responsibilities such as setting up lights and speakers, “it was a fun experience to see everyone be on stage together.” for my teammates.”

Li added that she hopes the show will allow University community members to “start recognizing Fusion more” and appreciate the group’s wide-ranging talents.

Brown is now fourth in the Ivy League with only one game remaining on their schedule. The team will face off against Yale at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., looking to guarantee a postseason spot with a victory. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

“We will get our rest tomorrow then be back to work on Monday getting ready for Yale,” Wojcik wrote. “They’re a tough team and we will have our hands full, but I’m really excited.”

“The focus is and always has been wanting to be a part of history,” Cooley wrote. “Something that’s bigger than us. Something worth fighting for. All in.” to offer mail-in ballots to those who didn’t specifically request them.

In November, the research team began analyzing the results of the 2022 midterm elections. While the project is waiting on more detailed voter turnout data, its preliminary results show that changes to turnout demographics, including the decrease in minority voter populations, “can be attributed to the change in the laws,” Hamilton said.

Working on this project has improved Hamilton’s policy research skills. “Being able to look at legislation, read it, understand what it’s saying and find the meaningful parts of it (will be) helpful for me in the future,” she said.

Audience members were eager to show their support for the company. Lizbeth Ruiz ’26 particularly enjoyed the amount of creativity and diversity of dance styles showcased within the pieces.

“I’ve been really enjoying seeing their individual choreography styles, and all the choices they made with costume and lighting come together,” Addie Allen ’25 said.

“It’s super cool and inspiring to know that it’s all student-led and that they all choreograph their own pieces,” said Alicia Joo ’26, who previously took

“I really liked the diverse, methodological approach that we’re taking — the ability to analyze turnout data in a meaningful, quantitative way,” Danker said.

The project plans to create informational videos about these election laws for the Taubman website, as well as publish a written report on its findings, Schiller said. She added that they intend to publish these resources by April.

Harris hopes that this project will be “informational to our political leaders and policymakers of all stripes.” When reflecting on the future of the project, Harris said that he “wants this to be a part of a research line that shows what is actually inhibiting American democracy from taking shape.” promotional photos for Fusion. ”You can really see (their) cohesion and cooperation. … (It’s) nice to see how well they work together and how talented they all are.”

After the show, Carty said that Fusion plans to prepare for a dance showcase during A Day On College Hill in April and the Baccalaureate ceremony for Commencement.

“Everyone has put so much effort and time into Fusion this year,” Carty said, adding that she is “really excited for (Fusion) to be able to show that to the people they care about.”