Media Tip Sheet: Voter Challenges Disproportionately Impacting People of Color


December 6, 2023

vote

In response to doubts surrounding the 2020 election, a grassroots effort driven by conservative activists is working to purge voter registration rolls ahead of the 2024 presidential election. This initiative disproportionately targets thousands of voters of color as well as younger voters who are left-leaning. 

If targeted individuals do not take action once challenged, their voter registration can be canceled. Faculty experts at George Washington University are available to offer insight, analysis and commentary on the impact of voter challenges and how such a practice could impact the 2024 election. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Tayah Frye at [email protected].


Domonic A. Bearfield is a professor of public policy for the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University. A well-known scholar of race, gender, and public sector personnel, his work has appeared in many of the field's leading journals. He is currently an editor at Public Administration Review and previously served as the forum editor at Administrative Theory and Praxis. Bearfield is a lead author on numerous articles that delve into race dynamics within public policy and politics, such as The Disenfranchisement of Voters of Color: Redux and The Myth of Bureaucratic Neutrality: Institutionalized Inequity in Local Government Hiring. Bearfield can discuss how voters of color have disproportionately been impacted by voter suppression.

Danny Hayes is a professor of political science at The George Washington University and helps to run GW’s Political Poll. Hayes’ expertise and research focuses on the media, public opinion, and elections. He is an author of three books, News Hole: The Demise of Local Journalism and Political Engagement (2021); Women on the Run: Media, Gender, and Political Campaigns in a Polarized Era (2016); and Influence from Abroad: Foreign Voices, the Media, and U.S. Public Opinion (2013). His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, and numerous other academic journals. He has also served as an editor and contributor for The Monkey Cage, a politics and political science blog at the Washington Post.

Christopher Warshaw is an associate professor of political science at the George Washington University, and is an expert on redistricting, American politics, representation, public opinion, as well as state and local politics. Warshaw evaluates the links between public opinion, elections, and political outcomes in city and state governments, as well as the U.S. Congress. He also examines how political institutions, such as term limits or direct democracy, influence political representation. Warshaw can discuss the history of redistricting and how race has historically played a role in redistricting efforts.