How local media coverage of voter fraud influences partisan perceptions in the United States

Extant findings show that voter fraud is extremely rare and difficult to prove in the United States. Voter’s knowledge about voter fraud allegations likely comes through the media, who tend to sensationalize the issue. In this study, we argue that the more voters are exposed to media coverage of voter fraud allegations, the more likely that they will perceive that voter fraud is a frequent problem. We merge the 2012 Survey of Performance of American Elections with state-level media coverage of voter fraud leading up to the 2012 election. Our results show that media coverage of voter fraud is associated with public beliefs about voter fraud. In states where fraud was more frequently featured in local media outlets, public concerns about voter fraud were heightened. In particular, we find that press attention to voter fraud has a larger influence on Republicans than Democrats and Independents. We further find that media coverage of voter fraud does not further polarize partisan perceptions of voter fraud. Rather, political interest moderates state media coverage on voter fraud beliefs only among Republicans. Lastly, our results provide no support that demographic changes, approval of election administration, or information concerning actual reported voting irregularities have any discernable effects on partisan perceptions

Land Grant Application- Kimball, David (Harmony)

Land grant application submitted to the Maine Land Office for David Kimball for service in the Revolutionary War.https://digitalmaine.com/revolutionary_war_me_land_office/1530/thumbnail.jp

Better Ballots

Literacy tests to gain access to the polls were banned in the United States in 1965 with the passage of the Voting Rights Act.99 But in November 2008, eight years after an election debacle of historic proportions, millions of voters across the United States will face a literacy test of a different sort after they've stepped into the voting booth. Their intended choices may be recorded only if they can understand instructions written at a high reading level, often using legal and election terminology. And they will only be counted if they successfully navigate ballot designs that are needlessly complicated, where candidates for the same offi ce may be listed on multiple columns or pages, or different contests are inconsistently formatted. As we have tried to demonstrate in this report, ballot design and instructions can have a huge impact on election results. We sampled some of the more "high profi le" ballot design disasters over the last several years; this is not a comprehensive analysis of the cost of poor ballot design on elections and votes counted. But, the examples illustrate how dramatically poor ballot design can affect vote totals -- particularly when a number of design fl aws appear on the same ballot. Not surprisingly, when these mistakes affected many ballots (by appearing on a signifi cant percentage of the ballots in large counties like Los Angeles or Palm Beach, or on most of the ballots in a particular state), tens of thousands -- and sometimes hundreds of thousands -- of votes in a single federal or statewide race have been lost. This does not even include the voters who may have been so confused by a ballot design that they cast their ballot for a candidate for whom they did not intend to vote (for obvious reasons, it is far more diffi cult to determine this than to know when a voter failed to successfully cast a vote at all). Better ballot design will make it far more likely that the preferred candidates of all voters will be declared winners of their contests. Palm Beach County 2000 should have been a wake-up call to legislators, election offi cials, and watchdog groups that ensuring good ballot design is a critical election administration issue that needs to be systematically addressed. Unfortunately, for the last eight years, it has continued to be largely ignored. The predictable result has disproportionately affected low-income and elderly voters, and thrown several important elections into turmoil. The good news is that there is still time before November 2008 to ensure that ballot design fl aws do not throw the results of another closely contested race into doubt, as has happened in several federal and state races in the last decade. And unlike changes to equipment (which, there is no question, could make systems more secure, accessible and usable), improving ballot design and instructions is possible for little or no cost, and a relatively small-scale investment of time

THE ECOLOGY OF A SUBMERSED MACROPHYTE, MYRIOPHYLLUM HETEROPHYLLUM: COMPETITION FOR NUTRIENTS WITH PHYTOPLANKTON AND SEASONAL CHANGES IN TISSUE MINERAL CONTENT

Myriophyllum heterophyllum is a nuisance, submersed hydrophyte in New Hampshire. First observed in Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hamsphire during the 1960s, the plant infested over 22 miles of the lake\u27s shoreline by 1980. Circumstantial evidence suggests that M. heterophyllum was accidently introduced to New Hamsphire by trailered boats. Physiological and ecological data that relate to the recent success of this species in the state are reviewed. Myriophyllum heterophyllum submersed apices were analyzed for ash, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper and lead over a 2 1/2 year period, and the floral stem, apex, sub-apex, mid-stem, lower stem and root for one year. Apical mineral content was influenced by both the seasons and sample location. The recurrent seasonal variations in apical mineral content suggest that the time of sampling can greatly influence the results and interpretation of tissue chemistry analysis in submersed hydrophytes. The six plant structures sampled differed significantly in mineral content, but seasonal pulses for each mineral were usually in synchrony between the different structures sampled. Dominant minerals were sodium and potassium in the stem, calcium in the floral spike and iron in the roots. The data suggest that M. heterophyllum does not fulfill its nutrient requirements by previous storage, but instead, it mobilizes minerals directly from the sediments. The competitive interactions between M. heterophyllum, phytoplankton and sediments in the littoral zone of Lake Winnipesaukee were examined. Nutrient additions were made to in situ enclosures with (a) littoral water only, (b) littoral water and rooted M. heterophyllum, (c) littoral waters and sediments, and (d) littoral water, sediments and rooted M. heterophyllum. Changes in littoral waters before and after continuous nutrient additions from nutrient rich sewage treatment plant effluent were also monitored. The results suggest that nutrient levels in the water determine whether submersed macrophytes or phytoplankton will become dominant in the littoral zone, and that the capacity of the littoral sediments to sorb phosphorus is a critical factor in regulating nutrient availability in the water. Data on the seasonal changes in phytoplankton and water chemistry in littoral waters harboring dense growths of M. heterophyllum, and herbicide-treated waters are also presented

Weather Patterns and Lunar Cycles Shape the Soundscape of an Estuarine Ecosystem

Acoustic indices are an emerging tool for the remote assessment of habitat health. Our research focused dually on an understudied habitat type and disruptive geophonic phenomenon. We collected environmental data and designed a novel acoustic index to (1) identify rain from sound recordings and (2) better understand the drivers of acoustic variability in a tidal river estuary. Our findings suggest biophony (animal generated sounds) is tied to environmental, lunar, and tidal cycles, as well as time of day

Perceptions of voter fraud are boosted by many Americans' hostility towards immigrants.

One of Donald Trump's earliest claims as President was that millions voted illegally in the 2016 election. Given that research has found that voter fraud in the US is exceptionally rare, how can many Americans' concerns about illegal voting be explained? In new research, Adriano Udani and David Kimball find that anti-immigrant attitudes - especially towards Mexicans - strongly predict ..

Federal Election Reform Bill Will Require Action by Missouri

President Bush has just signed into law the “Help America Vote Act” (H.R. 3295). The bill authorizes almost $4 billion in grants to states for improvements in voting technology and election administration, and imposes several requirements. SB 675, passed by the Missouri Legislature in 2002, addresses many, but not all of the requirements in the federal legislation.Includes bibliographical reference

EC80-553 What to Do Until the Doctor Comes....First Aid : A Guide for Emergency Medical Care

Extension circular 80-553 discusses What to do until the doctor comes: first aid, a guide for emergency medical care

The media are fueling beliefs about voter fraud despite the fact that it is incredibly rare

It’s election season in the US, which also means that fears about voter fraud are back in the news and on the lips of many politicians. In new research which examines the role of local media in stoking concerns about voter fraud, Brian J. Fogarty, David C. Kimball, and Adriano Udani find that in states where the media frequently mention voter fraud, the public become more concerned about it. This effect is heightened for Republican voters and even more so for those who live in states under Democratic legislative control