CHICAGO — With the 2024 election season underway, voters are weighing in at primaries and caucuses around the country. DePaul University experts are available to discuss key topics surrounding local, state and federal elections, including campaign strategy, Gen Z voters, voting rights, the impact of global politics and more. Experts can be reached directly, or email newsroom@depaul.edu for assistance.
Voting Rights
Manoj Mate
Associate Professor of Law, College of Law
mmate@depaul.edu
Manoj Mate can discuss public law, constitutional law, election law and voting rights. He’s the director of the Racial Justice Initiative and can discuss the implications of Supreme Court rulings and gerrymandering on voting rights.
Christina Rivers
Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
crivers@depaul.edu
Christina Rivers is a voting rights expert and can discuss the Supreme Court’s decisions on minority voting rights, ballot access and integrity, and representation. She can speak to recent efforts in Illinois and elsewhere to expand access and voting rights for citizens with a felony conviction and eligible voters in jail.
Communication, Campaigns and Political Marketing
Benjamin Epstein
Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
bepstein@depaul.edu
Author of “The Only Constant is Change: Technology, Political Communication, and Innovation Over Time,” Benjamin Epstein can speak on the role of the internet and social media in elections. He can also discuss how the balance of power, policy and democracy could be affected by election outcomes.
Nick Kachiroubas
Associate Teaching Professor in School of Public Service, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
nkachiro@depaul.edu
Nick Kachiroubas can speak about national elections including the presidential, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. He can discuss the impact of these outcomes on public policy issues. He can also discuss the upcoming Republican and Democratic National Conventions, as well as the Cook County state’s attorney race and State of Illinois elections.
Bruce Newman
Professor of Marketing, Driehaus College of Business
bnewman@depaul.edu
Bruce Newman is a leading expert on political marketing. He can discuss the role of the political party in a post-Trump era, marketing tactics that will work in the 2024 presidential campaign, and voter perceptions of candidates’ ages.
Global Affairs and Crime
Tom Mockaitis
Professor of History, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
tmockait@depaul.edu
Thomas Mockaitis is an expert in international security, terrorism, unconventional conflict and military history. He is available to speak about terrorism, border security, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Ukraine, war in Gaza, and their connection to this year’s election.
Xavier Perez
Criminology Faculty, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
xperez2@depaul.edu
Xavier Perez can offer facts behind the debates about crime and violence prevention. He can also discuss the criminalization of immigrants, immigration as a political wedge issue and mass incarceration. He’s previously joined the “Can We Please Talk?” podcast to discuss these issues within the Latino community.
Youth Vote
Courtney James
Director of Student Involvement, Division of Student Affairs
cjames30@depaul.edu
Courtney James has played a key role in DePaul being named a Voter Friendly Campus following the 2020 election. In addition to encouraging students to register to vote, she also helped inform and educate students about voting rights in the U.S. James is available to speak on tactics that increase interest and participation in elections among college students.
Political Theory
David Lay Williams
Professor of Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
david.williams@depaul.edu
A scholar of political theory, David Lay Williams can discuss democracy, deception, and how contemporary politics connects to political history. He can also discuss civic virtue, republicanism and how economic inequality affects political thought.
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