Election and democracy experts

From ongoing threats to democracy to the reliability of voter polling to the priorities of young voters, UC Berkeley experts are focused on elections and the future of democracy. The following experts may be available to assist reporters.

Journalists needing additional assistance: email [email protected].

Henry Brady profile

Henry Brady

Professor of political science and public policy, former dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy

Electoral politics and political participation, education policy, California politics, polling, polarization and trust. UC Berkeley News

headshot of David Broockman smiling outdoors

David Broockman

Associate professor of political science

Political communication, political polarization, political persuasion, and reducing prejudice toward transgender people and undocumented immigrants. UC Berkeley News, Politico, Plain English podcast

Jennifer Chatman profile photo

Jennifer Chatman

Interim dean of Haas School of Business, professor of management

Narcissistic leaders, organizational psychology, the importance of diversity in teams, challenges confronting women leaders. UC Berkeley News

Joshua Clark headshot

Joshua Clark

Senior social scientist at Othering & Belonging Institute

Electoral trends, social and structural barriers to civic participation, building inclusive democracy. 

Daniel Farber, professor of law

Daniel Farber

Professor of law

Constitutional law, the indictment of Donald Trump, presidential power, U.S. Supreme Court. UC Berkeley News, CalMatters

Haney Farid profile

Hany Farid

Professor of information

AI in image processing, political messaging and deepfakes, algorithms and recommender systems, AI policy and law. UC Berkeley News, The Washington Post, The New York Times

informal portrait of UC Berkeley political scientist M. Steven Fish

M. Steven Fish

Professor of political science

Challenges to democracy in the United States and around the world. UC Berkeley News, The New York Times

Lisa García Bedolla

Lisa García Bedolla

Vice provost for graduate studies, professor in the School of Education

Educational and political inequality, voter engagement and organizing.
Spanish-speaking

jake grumbach profile

Jake Grumbach

Associate professor of public policy, leader of the Democracy Policy Lab

The causes and consequences of the nationalization of state politics; labor, racial and economic inequality, democracy. UC Berkeley News, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs

Ian Haney Lopez profile

Ian Haney López

Professor of public law

Race and constitutional law, how racism has evolved, how politicians exploit race. UC Berkeley News, PBS, Vox

Erin Heys profile

Erin Heys

Policy director and senior researcher for the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans

Youth political engagement, generational comparisons. UC Berkeley News, KQED

headshot of Susan Hyde, professor of political science

Susan Hyde

Professor of political science

International elections, influences on domestic politics and the developing world, election fraud. UC Berkeley News, The New York Times

Portrait of Gabriel Lenz

Gabriel Lenz

Professor of political science

Political psychology, democratic accountability, public opinion. UC Berkeley News, The Atlantic, The Washington Post

Michael Mark Cohen profile

Michael Mark Cohen

Associate Professor of African American Studies and African Diaspora Studies

Racialization in the U.S., social movements, conspiracy theories, contemporary US politics and social change. UC Berkeley News, The New York Times

a woman with long, dark hair looking at the camera

G. Cristina Mora

Associate professor of sociology, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies

Politics and race, immigration, Latino migration. UC Berkeley News, KQED . Speaker of Spanish and English.

Paul Pierson profile

Paul Pierson

Professor of political science, director of the Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative

Economic class, inequality and populism in contemporary American politics. UC Berkeley News, The New York Times

john a. powell profile

john a. powell

Professor of law, African American Studies, and Ethnic Studies; director of the Othering and Belonging Institute

Civil rights, civil liberties, structural racism, housing, poverty and democracy. UC Berkeley News, The New Yorker

Lawrence Rosenthal profile

Lawrence Rosenthal

Founder, chair and lead researcher at the Center for Right-Wing Studies

Populism and nationalism in the U.S. and Europe, the rise of right-wing extremism. UC Berkeley News

eric schickler profile

Eric Schickler

Professor of political science, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies

U.S. politics, Congress, state-federal relations, public opinion. UC Berkeley News, The Washington Post, The New York Times

Dan Schnur profile

Dan Schnur

Lecturer of political science

Campaign strategies and political messaging. UC Berkeley News, KQED, The Guardian

informal headshot of Sarah Song, professor of law and political science

Sarah Song

Professor of law, philosophy and political science

Immigration law and policy, race and gender politics, freedom of speech. UC Berkeley News, The New Yorker

a close0up photo of a m an

Philip Stark

Professor of statistics

Election trustworthiness, election audits, risk-limiting audits, election cyber security, contested elections. UC Berkeley News, The Washington Post, Politico, The Associated Press, The Nation

Sarah Swanbeck profile

Sarah Swanbeck

Founder, executive director for the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans

Youth political engagement, generational comparisons. UC Berkeley News, California Sun

Steven Weber profile

Steven Weber

Professor of the Graduate School

International politics, the information economy, cybersecurity, behavioral economics. UC Berkeley News

Portrait of David C. Wilson

David C. Wilson

Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy

Public opinion, political psychology, race and justice. UC Berkeley News, PBS