Mailers and ads are using social pressure to get out the vote by reminding people that friends and neighbors can look up whether they voted.
On this episode of River to River, Ben Kieffer speaks with Tom Lopach, CEO of the Voter Participation Center, an organization behind some of these mailers. Then, Drake political scientist Adrien Halliez shares the origins of this strategy and why these organizations tend to be connected to Democrats.
But first, trust in the polls has been shaken since 2016 and most recently by the 2024 Ann Selzer poll, which incorrectly projected Kamala Harris would win Iowa. Halliez shares what pollsters are doing to make their polls more accurate and how to read the polls. Also, Grinnell College political scientist Peter Hanson shares findings from the latest Grinnell College Poll, which asked wide-ranging questions on democracy, education, data centers and more. He is joined by students who helped compose the questions.
Guests:
- Adrien Halliez, assistant professor of political science, Drake University
- Peter Hanson, professor and department chair of political science, Grinnell College
- Aditi Earla, 3rd-year economics major, Grinnell College
- Jianna Pollack, 4th-year political science and math major, Grinnell College
- Olivia Lee, 3rd-year economics major, Grinnell College
- Tom Lopach, president and CEO, Voter Participation Center
