Presidential panel taps political scientist’s election expertise

UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden is helping provide academic research to a bipartisan presidential commission looking into how to improve federal elections. President Barack Obama announced the creation of the commission in his State of the Union address. The Presidential Commission on Election Administration was established by executive order on March 28. Burden says it's an honor to be selected as a researcher for the commission. He's authored two white papers for the commission so far, on absentee voting by mail and early voting, and poll workers. "It's exciting, frankly, to have your scholarship seriously considered by a commission that will make recommendations to the President of the United States," he says. On Sept.