Daron Shaw

More from Daron

Daron R. Shaw is Distinguished Teaching Professor and Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Chair of State Politics at the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Shaw specializes in American Government, Campaigns and Elections, Political Parties, Public Opinion and Voting Behavior, and Applied Survey Research.

He is the author of The Race to 270: The Electoral College and Campaign Strategies of 2000 and 2004 (Chicago), co-author of Unconventional Wisdom: Facts and Myths about American Voters (Oxford), co-author of The Turnout Myth (Oxford), and co-author of The Appearance of Corruption (Oxford).

His research has been published in American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Political Behavior, Political Communication, PS: Political Science, Party Politics, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and several other professional journals.

In addition to his academic career, Professor Shaw served as a strategist in the 1992, 2000, and 2004 presidential election campaigns. He is currently co-director of the Fox News Poll, co-director of the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, director of the Texas Lyceum Poll, and Associate Principal Investigator for the 2020 American National Election Study. He is also a member of the decision team for Fox News, the advisory board for the MIT Election Data & Science Lab, and the advisory board for the Annette Strauss Institute.

Formerly, he served as President George W. Bush’s representative on the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and as one of the academic directors for President Barack Obama’s Commission for Election Administration.

Voter ID: Facts and myths of identifying yourself at the voting booth

There’s an awful lot of debate about voter identification. Some fact, some fiction and a surplus of opinions. But what are the rules surrounding voter ID? Does it impact turnout? This article answers all those questions, but to sum it up: we certainly don’t have compelling evidence that there’s much to be gained from these

Jun 2

Electing our leaders: How election systems differ around the world

Free and fair elections are the foundation of democratic societies. But not all elections are the same. There are two main types of election systems: single member, simple plurality, or SMSP, and proportional representation. This article will explain how they both work and how they correspond to elections in the United States and around the

May 24

How voter registration works across the United States

When U.S. citizens want to exercise their right to vote in America, they must first register. But the rules and requirements vary from state to state. “It’s important to remember that we do not register nationally in the United States. Rather we register at the level of the county,” Professor Daron Shaw said. Why are

Mar 30

Same day, automatic registrations simplify voting in America

Voting in the United States is largely a two-step process. First you register, then you vote. But two options make voting a one-step process: same day registration and automatic registration. “The United States is somewhat distinct compared to other democracies in that we require voters for the most part to register prior to election day

Mar 30

Convenience voting lets voters cast ballots on their terms

The 2020 elections revealed significant changes to the American electorate. But the biggest change wasn’t who voters supported–it was how they cast their ballots. Convenience voting, which includes early in-person, mail-in, and absentee voting, became more popular than ever. In fact, 72 percent of voters used one of those voting methods. MIT Election Data Science

Mar 30

Latest Opinions

In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum. We hope these different voices will help you reach your own conclusions.

The opinions published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.

From the left