Daniel A. Smith
Professor | University of Florida
Gainesville, FL, UNITED STATES
Daniel A. Smith examines how political institutions affect political behavior across and within the American states.
Biography
Daniel A. Smith is a political science professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He studies how political institutions affect political behavior across and within the American states. His current research focuses on how initiatives, redistricting and electoral laws shape political participation. Daniel has published more than 100 scholarly articles, chapters and reports in the disciplines's leading outlets. He is a past-president of the State Politics and Policy Section of the APSA. Daniel is the author of "Tax Crusaders and the Politics of Direct Democracy (Routledge, 1998) and co-author of "Educated by Initiative" (Michigan, 2004) and "State and Local Politics: Institutions and Reform" (Cengage, 2015). He has worked as an expert on dozens of voting rights lawsuits in Florida and around the country.
Areas of Expertise (10)
Election Administration
Voting
Ballot Measures
Florida Politics
State Politics and Elections
Voting Rights and Elections
Direct Democracy
American Politics
Elections
Florida
Media Appearances (3)
The failed Ohio amendment reflects Republican efforts nationally to restrict direct democracy
AP News online
2023-08-12
After Ohio voters repealed a law pushed by Republicans that would have limited unions’ collective bargaining rights in 2011, then-GOP Gov. John Kasich was contrite. “I’ve heard their voices, I understand their decision and, frankly, I respect what people have to say in an effort like this,” he told reporters after the defeat. The tone from Ohio Republicans was much different this past week after voters resoundingly rejected their attempt to impose hurdles on passing amendments to the state constitution.
This article is more than 1 month old Revealed: Florida Republicans target voter registration groups with thousands in fines
The Guardian online
2023-07-13
Florida Republicans have hit dozens of voter registration groups with thousands of dollars of fines, the latest salvo in an alarming crackdown on voting in the state led by Governor Ron DeSantis. At least 26 groups have cumulatively racked up more than $100,000 in fines since September of last year, according to a list that was provided by Florida officials to the Guardian.
Floridians charged over voting believed they were eligible, documents show
The Guardian online
2022-08-25
The defendants are all charged with at least one count of false swearing on a voter registration application and voting as an unqualified elector, both third-degree felonies punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Articles (3)
Mail Voting and Voter Turnout
Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics and PolicyMichael P. McDonald, et. al
2023-06-01
Does the expansion of voting by mail lead to higher turnout rates? Our thesis challenges the theoretical motivation underlying existing studies that expect merely a substitution effect, or worse, a decrease in turnout, in states that have more expansive convenience voting mechanisms in place, in particular, mail voting. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped how we usually conceive of convenience voting, from the timing of the vote to the modality.
Weather to Vote: How Natural Disasters Shape Turnout Decisions
Political Research QuarterlyWilliam A Zelin & Daniel A Smith
2022-05-23
Natural disasters can uproot peoples’ lives in a matter of minutes, leaving behind immeasurable hardships on the people and places that they strike. We examine the impact on voter turnout of one such force majeure in the days leading up to a midterm election. Leveraging the randomness of a rapidly developing, unpredictable Category 5 hurricane, we assemble an original dataset to examine the effects of Hurricane Michael on voting in Florida in the 2018 General Election.
Political knowledge and convenience voting
Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and PartiesEnrijeta Shino & Daniel Smith
2022-04-03
Are more politically knowledgeable registered voters more likely to cast their ballots prior to Election Day when given an option to do so? We argue that individuals with high political knowledge are more likely to take advantage of convenience voting opportunities because they have command over static-general facts, enabling them to make informed choices when voting.
Media
Publications:
Social