Tip Sheets

Cornell experts available to discuss election

Media Contact

Rachel Rhodes

Cornell experts are available to discuss issues surrounding Tuesday's election pitting President Donald Trump against former Vice President Joe Biden including misinformation, polling and public opinion.


Peter Enns

Professor Government and Executive Director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

Peter Enns, professor of government and executive director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, recently completed a poll, “Politics and the Election 2020” with Reality Check Insights. He is available to discuss public opinion on a variety of issues including climate change, coronavirus and the Supreme Court, in addition to polling and the phenomena of the "hidden Trump voter" seen in 2016. 

Alexandra Cirone

Assistant Professor in the Department of Government

Alexandra Cirone is a professor of government and teaches a course on post-truth politics. She is available to discuss fake news and misinformation, including tips for how voters can use social media effectively to get accurate information on candidates. 

Sergio Garcia-Rios

Assistant Professor

Sergio Garcia-Rios, professor of government and director of polling for Univision, recently released a new poll of registered voters featuring an oversample of Latino and Hispanic voters. His poll found that former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Arizona, while the race is too close to call and within the margin of error in Florida and Texas. Garcia-Rios can speak to Latino public opinion and issues important to the Latino and Hispanic communities in this election season.

Thomas Pepinsky

Professor of Government

Tom Pepinsky, professor of government, is an expert on global democratization, authoritarianism and “regime cleavage”, and co-author of a recent survey that asked Americans about their views on the legitimacy of election results. He can discuss how this U.S. election compares to elections in other countries, as well as public opinion related to COVID-19 and politics in 2020. 

Christopher Robert Way

Associate Professor

Christopher Way, associate professor of government, studies the political business cycle and focuses on the effects of electoral cycles and the desire of leaders to stay in power. He is available to discuss how national level elements of the economy, such as GDP, are unlikely to influence elections.

Sarah Kreps

Professor of Government

Sarah Kreps, professor of government, studies misinformation and election interference and is author of the book “Social Media and International Relations.” She can discuss how foreign interference introduces “noise into the system” regardless of whether the culprits are identified.

Sabrina Karim

Assistant Professor of Government

Sabrina Karim, assistant professor of government, studies police and peacekeeping in post-conflict states and is currently working on a book entitled, "When Peace Makes States: How International Security Sector Assistance Shapes Post-Conflict State Building". She is available to discuss election-related violence. 

Douglas L. Kriner

Professor of Government

Doug Kriner, professor of American institutions, is an expert on executive power and author of the book "Investigating the President: Congressional Checks on Presidential Power." He also co-authored recent research on the role social media companies play in combatting misinformation and on public opinion of coronavirus vaccine development. He is available to discuss the limits of executive power and other issues at play in the election. 

Jens David Ohlin

Vice Dean and Professor of Law

Jens David Ohlin, interim dean of the Cornell Law School and professor of law, is an expert on election interference and international law and recently published a book entitled "Election Interference: International Law and the Future of Democracy." He is available to discuss election-day interference and its impact on international law. 

Aziz F. Rana

Professor of Law

Aziz Rana, professor of law, is an expert on constitutional law and is currently exploring the modern rise of constitutional veneration in the twentieth century. He is available to discuss broad questions of what the election says about the general stability and democratic legitimacy of the constitutional system. 

Maria Figueroa

Director, Labor and Policy Research

Maria Figueroa is director of labor policy and research at Cornell's Worker Institute and is an expert on low-wage and contingent work. She is available to discuss Proposition 22 in California, a ballot measure that if passed, would exempt companies like Uber and Lyft from providing benefits to workers.

Mabel Berezin

Professor of Sociology at Cornell University

Mabel Berezin, professor of sociology, is an expert on expressions of fascism and challenges to democratic cohesion and solidarity in Europe and the United States. She is a signatory to a letter of concern penned by the New Fascism Syllabus and is available to discuss appearances of fascism in the United States around the election. 

Michael Macy

Professor of Sociology and Director of the Social Dynamics Lab

Michael Macy, professor of sociology, teaches a class on political polarization and tribal politics. He is available to speak about the tipping point for the polarization of American politics, given that in the past crises like foreign election interference or the coronavirus pandemic would have been national unifiers, rather than political flash points. 

David A. Bateman

Assistant Professor

David Bateman, associate professor of government, is an expert on Congress, american political development, and voting rights. He is the author of "Southern Nation: Congress and White Supremacy after Reconstruction" and can speak to Black representation in Congress and significant congressional races in 2020. 

Cornell University has television, ISDN and dedicated Skype/Google+ Hangout studios available for media interviews.