Kevin Morris
@kevintmorris.bsky.social
Senior Research Fellow and Voting Policy Scholar at @BrennanCenter.org. Democracy is good, prisons are bad. Usually on a bike, beach, or backpacking trip.
kevintmorris.com
Posts regularly deleted using https://bsky.jazco.dev/cleanup.
kevintmorris.com
Posts regularly deleted using https://bsky.jazco.dev/cleanup.
Pinned
Kevin Morris
@kevintmorris.bsky.social
· Oct 28
It's official: An American Problem (our book on the Voting Rights Act, preclearance, and the effects of Shelby County) will be coming out next year with Princeton University Press. As the VRA faces continued threats, we're hopeful it will offer insight into why the it's is so vitally important
Not going to get into this much publicly, but as someone who is also dealing with an odd / questionable replication of a paper at APSR, this... Is not confidence-inspiring
A critique of our (w/ @bertous.bsky.social) paper “Instrumentally inclusive” has just been published.
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
November 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Not going to get into this much publicly, but as someone who is also dealing with an odd / questionable replication of a paper at APSR, this... Is not confidence-inspiring
Reposted by Kevin Morris
when the people closest to the center of action - who are also the people whose futures are most dependent on trying to read the signs and divine the near-future - start acting like the goal is to minimize the damage they’ll incur by being associated with the president, that is a big sign imo
November 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
when the people closest to the center of action - who are also the people whose futures are most dependent on trying to read the signs and divine the near-future - start acting like the goal is to minimize the damage they’ll incur by being associated with the president, that is a big sign imo
Don't sleep on this. A Republican-led Congress pushing back against the administration is 100% necessary, and this is how it starts
Senate committee vows ‘vigorous oversight’ in killing of boat strike survivors
The Republican-led committee’s pledge came after The Post reported that the defense secretary ordered that a U.S. strike on an alleged narcotics boat leave no survivors.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Don't sleep on this. A Republican-led Congress pushing back against the administration is 100% necessary, and this is how it starts
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Very Excited to Announce My New Book Project, “Unbent Arc: The Rise and Decline of American Democracy 1964-2024)” electionlawblog.org?p=152307
I’m very excited to be working on this major project, bringing together my many strands of research on democracy and election law.
I’m very excited to be working on this major project, bringing together my many strands of research on democracy and election law.
September 30, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Very Excited to Announce My New Book Project, “Unbent Arc: The Rise and Decline of American Democracy 1964-2024)” electionlawblog.org?p=152307
I’m very excited to be working on this major project, bringing together my many strands of research on democracy and election law.
I’m very excited to be working on this major project, bringing together my many strands of research on democracy and election law.
I'm sure it's automated but I don't love being reminded that I have a review due soon on the morning after Thanksgiving
November 28, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I'm sure it's automated but I don't love being reminded that I have a review due soon on the morning after Thanksgiving
Fun fun fun: oven set to 350 is well above 500 at this point. Good day for this to happen!
November 27, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Fun fun fun: oven set to 350 is well above 500 at this point. Good day for this to happen!
I'm sorry, what?
November 27, 2025 at 12:47 AM
I'm sorry, what?
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Social science takes time. Here, social scientists analyze a decade of evidence to show that a Supreme Court decision designed to suppress the black vote actually did. SCOTUS may soon obliterate the rest of the Voting Rights Act and we should not be shy about calling out what's going on here.
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 26, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Social science takes time. Here, social scientists analyze a decade of evidence to show that a Supreme Court decision designed to suppress the black vote actually did. SCOTUS may soon obliterate the rest of the Voting Rights Act and we should not be shy about calling out what's going on here.
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Ok if you know anyone working in campaigns, or wanting to, or who just wants to understand some things about who runs our politics, they might want to read
Producing Politics
Inside the Exclusive Campaign World Where the Privileged Few Shape Politics for All of Us
www.beacon.org/Producing-Po...
Producing Politics
Inside the Exclusive Campaign World Where the Privileged Few Shape Politics for All of Us
www.beacon.org/Producing-Po...
November 26, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Ok if you know anyone working in campaigns, or wanting to, or who just wants to understand some things about who runs our politics, they might want to read
Producing Politics
Inside the Exclusive Campaign World Where the Privileged Few Shape Politics for All of Us
www.beacon.org/Producing-Po...
Producing Politics
Inside the Exclusive Campaign World Where the Privileged Few Shape Politics for All of Us
www.beacon.org/Producing-Po...
Spent a good chunk of the afternoon hand-coding the missing precincts in Georgia; some 98% of votes are now matched to precinct-shapefiles, making calculating racial demographics easier.
The upshot doesn't change: In heavily White, Democratic parts of GA, the White D cand outran the Black D cand
The upshot doesn't change: In heavily White, Democratic parts of GA, the White D cand outran the Black D cand
November 25, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Spent a good chunk of the afternoon hand-coding the missing precincts in Georgia; some 98% of votes are now matched to precinct-shapefiles, making calculating racial demographics easier.
The upshot doesn't change: In heavily White, Democratic parts of GA, the White D cand outran the Black D cand
The upshot doesn't change: In heavily White, Democratic parts of GA, the White D cand outran the Black D cand
Reposted by Kevin Morris
I talk about her in my Black abolitionists of NYC walking tour and usually no one has heard of her but she was Rosa Parks on the bus 100 years before that incident.
In 1855 Elizabeth Jennings Graham brought a suit that initiated the desegregation of NYC transit. Raised by politically active parents (her was mother formerly enslaved, her entrepreneur father was awarded a patent in 1821) Ms. Graham was a teacher, organist, & kindergarten founder.
November 25, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I talk about her in my Black abolitionists of NYC walking tour and usually no one has heard of her but she was Rosa Parks on the bus 100 years before that incident.
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Bear in mind: it has ever been thus!
There's no golden age when information was immaculate & the people devoted to imbibing it all. The midcentury US, with its major newspapers & three networks, was where the basic survey research demonstrating how little citizens know about politics was conducted
There's no golden age when information was immaculate & the people devoted to imbibing it all. The midcentury US, with its major newspapers & three networks, was where the basic survey research demonstrating how little citizens know about politics was conducted
You cannot rationally govern an electorate guided by hallucinations
Yep. If voters aren't making choices based in actual reality then democracy cannot function
November 25, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Bear in mind: it has ever been thus!
There's no golden age when information was immaculate & the people devoted to imbibing it all. The midcentury US, with its major newspapers & three networks, was where the basic survey research demonstrating how little citizens know about politics was conducted
There's no golden age when information was immaculate & the people devoted to imbibing it all. The midcentury US, with its major newspapers & three networks, was where the basic survey research demonstrating how little citizens know about politics was conducted
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Crucial analysis from @kevintmorris.bsky.social. Required reading, really, for anyone who works / opines on recent US history and the current political moment - and for anyone who seeks to understand the Right's assault on elections.
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 24, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Crucial analysis from @kevintmorris.bsky.social. Required reading, really, for anyone who works / opines on recent US history and the current political moment - and for anyone who seeks to understand the Right's assault on elections.
Let the crust making commence!
November 25, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Let the crust making commence!
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Yep. NYC needs to move beyond paint and plastic to permanent, high-quality materials that are installed quickly.
'The Permanence Agenda': Paint and Plastic Won’t Deliver Real Street Safety - Streetsblog New York City
Rather than continuing New York's quick-build approach to redesigning streets with temporary materials, Zohran Mamdani should aim for permanent.
nyc.streetsblog.org
November 24, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Yep. NYC needs to move beyond paint and plastic to permanent, high-quality materials that are installed quickly.
Reposted by Kevin Morris
A bit more detail about this post. Trump-world (and particularly Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt) have been leaning heavily on the idea of a popular mandate from last year's election. Declining polls and the 2025 elections strain that argument, but the presidency still has a whole lot of power
Trump is learning the limits of mandate politics. Maybe. open.substack.com/pub/goodpoli...
Trump is learning the limits of mandate politics. Maybe.
After the 2024 election, Trump and his communication team – especially press secretary Karoline Leavitt – seized on the idea that his 49.8% of the popular vote constituted a historic mandate. This, ac...
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:49 PM
A bit more detail about this post. Trump-world (and particularly Press Sec. Karoline Leavitt) have been leaning heavily on the idea of a popular mandate from last year's election. Declining polls and the 2025 elections strain that argument, but the presidency still has a whole lot of power
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Looking forward to reading this new research. We need scholarship that continues to expose the disastrous effects of the Roberts’ Court’s assault on the Voting Rights Act.
Thanks @kevintmorris.bsky.social and @michaelgmiller.bsky.social.
Thanks @kevintmorris.bsky.social and @michaelgmiller.bsky.social.
November 24, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Looking forward to reading this new research. We need scholarship that continues to expose the disastrous effects of the Roberts’ Court’s assault on the Voting Rights Act.
Thanks @kevintmorris.bsky.social and @michaelgmiller.bsky.social.
Thanks @kevintmorris.bsky.social and @michaelgmiller.bsky.social.
Reposted by Kevin Morris
A harmful SCOTUS ruling in Louisiana v. Callais could disproportionately affect voters at the local level, who often use Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to challenge discriminatory maps and voting policies, @kevintmorris.bsky.social told @boltsmag.org. boltsmag.org/voting-right...
Black Residents in West Tennessee Just Won Fairer Districts. Now Comes SCOTUS. - Bolts
The Supreme Court may further erode the Voting Rights Act in an upcoming decision. Beyond affecting Congress, that would reverberate across local governments nationwide.
boltsmag.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:36 PM
A harmful SCOTUS ruling in Louisiana v. Callais could disproportionately affect voters at the local level, who often use Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to challenge discriminatory maps and voting policies, @kevintmorris.bsky.social told @boltsmag.org. boltsmag.org/voting-right...
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Doubly bad, right, in that they cowardly appoint the judges to do it for them -- and confirm Roberts at the same time that they are working on the reauthorization. Shameful stuff
November 24, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Doubly bad, right, in that they cowardly appoint the judges to do it for them -- and confirm Roberts at the same time that they are working on the reauthorization. Shameful stuff
An aside (not discussed in the paper, but we do in the book): while Roberts rightly gets a lot of the blame for Shelby, don't miss the role of the Senate during the 2006 reauthorization... 1/
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 24, 2025 at 5:51 PM
An aside (not discussed in the paper, but we do in the book): while Roberts rightly gets a lot of the blame for Shelby, don't miss the role of the Senate during the 2006 reauthorization... 1/
Popeyes turkey procured
November 24, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Popeyes turkey procured
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Hugely important study. Turns out the Voting Rights Act was actually super helpful for protecting racial minorities from voter suppression in states that were notorious for voter suppression. Among the many disastrous legacies of Roberts' tenure, gutting the VRA is up there.
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 24, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Hugely important study. Turns out the Voting Rights Act was actually super helpful for protecting racial minorities from voter suppression in states that were notorious for voter suppression. Among the many disastrous legacies of Roberts' tenure, gutting the VRA is up there.
Reposted by Kevin Morris
Having a hard time keeping up w/ the redistricting news from last week? I was, too.
So, I did what I do when I can't quite get my thoughts organized--I wrote.
Here's some takeaways from TX, NC, & a few other items:
open.substack.com/pub/chriscoo...
So, I did what I do when I can't quite get my thoughts organized--I wrote.
Here's some takeaways from TX, NC, & a few other items:
open.substack.com/pub/chriscoo...
Last Week in Redistricting
Last week was a doozy of a week in redistricting news. Here's a quick rundown of the highlights.
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Having a hard time keeping up w/ the redistricting news from last week? I was, too.
So, I did what I do when I can't quite get my thoughts organized--I wrote.
Here's some takeaways from TX, NC, & a few other items:
open.substack.com/pub/chriscoo...
So, I did what I do when I can't quite get my thoughts organized--I wrote.
Here's some takeaways from TX, NC, & a few other items:
open.substack.com/pub/chriscoo...
Reposted by Kevin Morris
SIGH
I personally date the fall of the post-Civil Rights constitutional order 2013 & Shelby County v Holder. When a reactionary SCOTUS could knock out the keystone of equal voting rights, & everyone agreed that was valid, it was an epochal change. It meant democracy was itself now a partisan issue.
I personally date the fall of the post-Civil Rights constitutional order 2013 & Shelby County v Holder. When a reactionary SCOTUS could knock out the keystone of equal voting rights, & everyone agreed that was valid, it was an epochal change. It meant democracy was itself now a partisan issue.
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 24, 2025 at 3:12 AM
SIGH
I personally date the fall of the post-Civil Rights constitutional order 2013 & Shelby County v Holder. When a reactionary SCOTUS could knock out the keystone of equal voting rights, & everyone agreed that was valid, it was an epochal change. It meant democracy was itself now a partisan issue.
I personally date the fall of the post-Civil Rights constitutional order 2013 & Shelby County v Holder. When a reactionary SCOTUS could knock out the keystone of equal voting rights, & everyone agreed that was valid, it was an epochal change. It meant democracy was itself now a partisan issue.
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.