Voting/Elections

The Department of Labor’s present proceeding to safeguard the retirement future of beneficiaries of pension funds governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) is a welcome initiative. Parallel to its previous notice of proposed rulemaking “Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments” (RIN 1210-AB95),[1] the current proposed rule clarifies the requirements of ERISA in a rapidly changing investment landscape in which both asset managers and the non-financial interests seeking to influence them are in very different positions than in the era when the law was originally passed.

During the first presidential Tuesday nigh, President Donald Trump called voting by mail "rigged." Former Vice President Joe Biden said that is not true. But if anyone was dissauded from voting by mail after watching the debate, they were not among the dozens of Anne Arundel County vobers who spoke with 11 News on Wednesday. May of those voters cast a general election ballot by dropping it into a ballot drop box that's under 24-hour security watch outside the Board of Elections office in Glen Burnie.

We are just under two months before Election Day. As voters weigh the choices, mathematics offers a clue in how you should cast your vote in November. Every decision we make is weighed amongst several criteria. When we opt for the fries over the salad, the satisfying taste of greasy potatoes outweighs the health benefits of greens and fiber. Other days, we pick the apple over the apple pie, for the exact opposite reason. These choices are made with limited thought, often more by impulse rather than with sound reason. 

COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented disruptions to American life, and these disturbances extend to elections. Increased voting by mail can help ensure participation in the midst of pandemic while also protecting the voting public and poll workers. Poll workers are especially a concern, as they would interact with potentially hundreds or thousands of voters on Election Day. A majority of poll workers are above the age of 60, placing them in one of the most vulnerable groups for the coronavirus.

The 2020 primary season was unprecedented to say the least. Amid COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the country, states varied in their decisions as to whether or not to send their constituents to vote at the polls. Drastic action was taken at the last minute in some areas, while other areas saw the consequences of their indecision later. Now, as we look toward the general election, it’s essential that states make a decision early considering three types of threats. The best course of action in this pandemic is a combination of mail-in voting with some in-person voting.

How we cast votes in federal elections is broken. We elect representatives into offices with terms that may last as many as six years, yet the process for casting a vote must be done within a 12-hour window, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The roots of a designated day for voting dates back to 1845, when congress declared a national election day.  There is much at stake to get every and all votes verified and counted, to reflect the preferences of the majority.  

The Democrats are picking their presidential candidate. The primaries and nominating convention are meant to surface that candidate who best represents Democratic ideals and voters. But what is the chance that the nominated candidate will win the electoral college? The answer is captured in the notion of electability, that is, the probability that, if nominated, a candidate will win the presidential election.

It’s hard to believe 2019 wasn’t a major election year. It seems like the news and social media relentlessly pushed political agendas, purposeful misrepresentations, accusatory quotes from anonymous or questionable sources, and even outright lies. I’m already sick of political messaging and attacks, and the election is a full 11 months away.

According to a study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, co-authored by Yanwen Wang of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Michael Lewis of Emory University in Atlanta and David A. Schweidel of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., negative advertising is effective in influencing voters — but significantly more so when the attacking candidates themselves run the ads.

While many may dread campaign season because of the bad energy associated with negative political advertising, a new study has found that such ads actually work. Negative advertising in politics works, but it’s more effective if the advertising comes directly from a candidate or candidate’s campaign. That’s according to a new study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science.