Excitement – and anxiety – about the 2020 election ratchets higher with the release of each new poll and prediction. But polls don’t tell the whole story and many forecasts in 2016 were proved wrong: what can we expect this year?

In “Between the Polls: How Voters Decide,” experts will examine how we learn about voters and their decisions and how those data drive election forecasts; they’ll also explore how polling is covered in the media and methods journalists use to gauge voter interest. The webinar, organized through the Distinguished Visiting Journalist Program in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), will be held on Mon., Oct. 19 at 7 pm. The event is free and the public is invited; registration is required. 

Panelists include:

• Marc Lacey '87, national editor for The New York Times and Arts & Sciences' 2020 Distinguished Visiting Journalist.
• Alexandra Cirone, assistant professor of government, is a faculty fellow with the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs (IOPGA). She studies historical political economy, democratization and party systems in new democracies, and fake news and misinformation campaigns. 
• Peter Enns, associate professor of government, executive director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, co-director of the Cornell Center for Social Sciences, and co-founder of Reality Check Insights. His research focuses on public opinion and political representation, as well as mass incarceration and the legal system.
• Sergio Garcia Rios, assistant professor of government and Latina/o studies, is director of polling of Latino voters for Univision News. He studies voter turnout, political participation and public opinion, especially among Latino immigrants.
• Jamila Michener, associate professor of government, is co-director of the Cornell Center for Health Equity. She is an expert on the politics of race, poverty and public policy in the United States.

The panel will be moderated by Doug Kriner, Clinton Rossiter Professor in American Institutions in the Department of Government (A&S) and faculty director of IOPGA.

Co-hosted by the College of Arts & Sciences and the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs, the webinar is supported by Alumni Affairs and Development and powered by eCornell.