About me

I was born in Boulder, CO, and went to high school in Iowa City, IA. I received my undergraduate degree from Carleton College in Northfield, MN before pursuing my PhD in Davis, CA. I was a collegiate swimmer at Carleton College from 2015-2019 and served as captain (social) from 2018-2019. 

Using nationally representative survey data, my research explores an alternative motivation for people to identify as independent in terms of whether they have positive feelings about others who are also nonpartisan. Results indicate independents exhibit in-group favoritism towards their group (i.e., other independents) and out-group animus towards the parties. “Expressive nonpartisans,” who have high affect for other independents, are not apathetic toward democracy and are more likely to be registered to vote than other independents, but they have low confidence in government and are concerned about the country’s future.  I was honored to receive the 2024 Data Innovation Award from Cornell University's Collaborative Midterm Survey for the survey instrument utilized in this study. 

I am the lead author of a paper 2024 paper in Electoral Studies that explores voter turnout in jurisdictions with ranked choice voting (RCV). Many jurisdictions in the United States have recently adopted single-winner RCV to replace first-past-the-post plurality elections. RCV may increase turnout by incentivizing increased contacts with voters. Previous attempts at assessing the relationship between RCV and turnout in the US have been limited by a lack of individual-level voting data measured across all cases where RCV is and is not used. Using administrative voter turnout records with millions of cases nationwide, the results indicate there are significantly higher probabilities of voter turnout in places that use RCV. Additionally, the paper shows evidence to suggest that campaigns in RCV places have a greater incidence of direct voter contact compared to similar places that do not use RCV. A follow-up paper using voter file data analyzes whether Blacks, Latinos, Asians and white non-Hispanics in RCV jurisdictions are more or less likely to vote nationwide and in California. This study is under review. We are extending this research to study if RCV benefits lower SES voters, including people from different income groups, using voter file data & credit bureau report data. 

I am a fan of all things sports!  I enjoy swimming, lifting, running, cycling, hiking, and hanging around outside whenever I can. Dachshunds are my favorite dog breed - I currently have one named Mojo but hope to have many more in the future.