Edward L. Lascher Jr.

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Views on how to deal with the homeless encampments that have cropped up across California in recent years, such as this one in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, in June 2021, don’t fall neatly along party lines. Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images

Local elections are less partisan because voters will cross party lines when issues hit close to home

Edward L. Lascher Jr., California State University, Sacramento; Brian Adams, San Diego State University, and Danielle Martin, California State University, Sacramento

4 in 10 voters would back a candidate from the opposing party for local office if that politician shared their views on homelessness and housing, according to survey data from California.
People gather at the Marion County Republican Party headquarters after discussing Issue 1 on July 13, 2023, in Marion, Ohio. Maddie McGarvey/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

Ohio voters kept it easy to pass a constitutional amendment protecting abortion − but also for the majority to someday limit other rights

Edward L. Lascher Jr., California State University, Sacramento and Joshua J. Dyck, UMass Lowell

The recent push in Ohio to pass a constitutional amendment was seen as a move to curb abortion rights. It failed. Two scholars say the ballot measure was really about minority rights in a democracy.
Nurses in November 2016 expressed support for a ballot proposition to limit what California state agencies pay for prescription drugs. AP/Nick Ut, file

Expanding direct democracy won’t make Americans feel better about politics

Joshua J. Dyck, UMass Lowell and Edward L. Lascher Jr., California State University, Sacramento

Citizens voting directly on policy seems like a good idea. But that led to the Brexit mess in the UK. In the US, two scholars say direct democracy deepens distrust of politics and government.

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