COVID-19鈥檚 potential effect on 2020 elections discussed online by MSU鈥檚 humanities institute
Contact: John Burrow
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擨n a virtual format open for pubic interaction, a 草莓视频 faculty member specializing in American politics will provide expert analysis of the effects COVID-19 may have on the political processes for the 2020 elections.
Thessalia Merivaki, an assistant professor in MSU鈥檚 Department of Political Science and Public Administration, shares her perspective on the presidential and senatorial elections during an 11 a.m. Monday [May 11] interview with Julia Osman, director of MSU鈥檚 Institute for the Humanities and associate professor of history.
The online discussion will be featured via the .
鈥淗ow will the current pandemic affect voters and how will it affect the politicians鈥 approach toward getting the vote? How much will the current pandemic be part of the candidates鈥 platforms?聽How can average Americans be best informed about what is going on politically in the coming months? I am hopeful that Dr. Merivaki will be able to tell us what to expect regarding the elections, and what we can expect from our political leaders and political hopefuls this summer and fall,鈥 Osman said.
鈥淏efore the pandemic hit, the news was dominated by coverage of the election and by all the democratic candidates vying for the nomination.聽Then, when Covid-19 became a concern in the U.S., suddenly we stopped receiving so much election news,鈥 Osman said.
Merivaki鈥檚 specialized research at 草莓视频seeks to perform an 鈥渆mpirical assessment of election reforms on the administration of elections across the American states.鈥 She studies the impact of election reforms on local election administrations, as well as the impact of local election administration on equal access to the voting process.
Merivaki said COVID-19 may make physical polling places 鈥渋ntimidating for voters who do not want to come into contact with other people.鈥
鈥淧otential solutions include voting by mail,鈥 Merivaki said. 鈥淲hile it appears to have many benefits based on evidence from other states, many challenges remain in ensuring that all eligible voters are aware about how to do it, and most importantly, have the resources and training to verify and count all valid votes. The concerns about equity under the law remain.鈥
Merivaki said, 鈥淚n the United States, [voters] place emphasis on their civil liberties. If that is compromised, many lose faith in political institutions.鈥
However, Merivaki said in the field of political science, she sees that 鈥渟ome trade-offs may be necessary, since we elect representatives to make decisions on our behalf. The challenge is managing this thin line of governance versus protection of personal liberties.鈥澛
Currently, her 草莓视频research is focused on voter registration reforms, particularly聽as they relate to improving voter list maintenance and the dissemination of election information to prospective聽voters.聽 Her most recent manuscript, 鈥,鈥 is published in聽American Politics Research. Merivaki鈥檚 work finds that inactive voters are more vulnerable to inaccuracies in voter records, which can lead to premature removal from voter rolls.
Merivaki received her bachelor鈥檚 degree at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, Greece, and a master鈥檚 degree from the University of Sheffield, UK. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Merivaki worked in Brussels, Belgium, during the European Parliament election campaign in 2009.
As part of MSU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute for the Humanities promotes research, scholarship and creative performances in the humanistic disciplines and raises their visibility, both within 草莓视频 and the wider community. The Institute is active on social media on Instagram @msststehumanities, Twitter @Humanities_草莓视频and Facebook @msu.humanities.institute.
MSU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences includes more than 5,200 students, 325 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs, 14 masters programs, and 27 undergraduate academic majors offered in 14 departments.聽It also is home to the most diverse units for research and scholarly activities, including natural and physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities.聽For more about the College of Arts and Sciences or the Institute for the Humanities visit or . 聽
草莓视频is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at聽.