October 21, 2010 — In the heart of the western United States resides a diverse collection of election and political commentators. Experts from the University of Utah are available to national and local media on wide-ranging topics involving races in the state, the West and across the country before and following the pivotal midterm elections on November 2, 2010.

—Politics in Utah and the Western states

Matthew Burbank, associate professor of political science, studies American politics, voting and elections, and urban politics. Professor Burbank is currently preparing the second edition of his text, Parties, Interest Groups and Political Campaigns for release after the 2010 midterm elections. Professor Burbank can discuss electoral politics in Utah, the Western states, and nationally.

—Conservative movement, Tea Party activism, conspiracy theories

Robert Goldberg is professor of history and director of the U’s Tanner Humanities Center. He has published Barry Goldwater (Yale University Press, 1995), Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America (Yale University Press, 2001) and a recent article on Goldwater, Reagan and the American West. Professor Goldberg can speak to national and regional issues facing voters.

—Election fraud, voting technologies, and election administration

Thad Hall is an associate professor of political science and the coauthor of two books on voting technologies (Point, Click, and Vote: The Future of Internet Voting and Electronic Elections) and coeditor of Election Fraud: Detecting and Deterring Electoral Manipulation. He has written numerous articles on election reform and election administration and observed elections in many states in the US as well as in Estonia. He can address issues about almost all aspects of election administration in the United States.

—Political campaigns, campaign finance, government ethics

Kirk L. Jowers is the director of University’s Hinckley Institute of Politics and associate professor of political science. He is also Acting Chairman of the Governor’s Commission on Strengthening Utah’s Democracy, and a Member of the Utah Constitutional Revision Commission. Mr. Jowers has provided legal and political advice to state and national political parties, more than 30 congressional and gubernatorial candidates, Fortune 500 corporations, non-profit organizations, and three presidential campaigns. He is a frequent media commentator and lecturer on politics, campaign finance laws, government ethics, and the First Amendment and is the author of several publications.

—Native American voting rights, environmental issues

Dan McCool is associate professor of political science. His research focuses on Indian water rights and voting rights, water resource development, and public lands policy. He has written or co-authored numerous books including Native Waters: Contemporary Indian Water Settlements and the Second Treaty Era (2002) and Native Vote: American Indians, the Voting Rights Act, and Indian Voting (2007). He has consulted widely on voting rights and environmental issues. He is currently writing a book about the politics of river restoration, and editing a book on the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.

—The West as ‘America’s New Swing Region’

Jennifer Robinson is associate director of the University’s Center for Public Policy and Administration and holds advanced degrees in political science and public administration. She co-edited The Rise of the West in Presidential Elections (2010) and wrote the chapter “America’s New Swing Region.” Her research covers American Indian political participation and at-will employment in the public sector. She can speak to local elections (local, state and federal races), as well as elections in other western states.