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).
Areas of Expertise (5)
Ballot Measures
Florida Politics
State Politics and Elections
Voting Rights and Elections
Direct Democracy
Media Appearances (4)
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.
Florida Republicans rushed to curb mail voting after Trump’s attacks on the practice. Now some fear it could lower GOP turnout.
The Washington Post online
2021-05-03
Republican operatives worth their salt remember well the Sunshine State’s 1988 U.S. Senate race. Floridians went to sleep that Nov. 8 believing that Democrat Buddy MacKay had prevailed with a slim lead of less than one percentage point.
In Florida, voters of color and young voters have had ballots flagged for possible rejection at higher rates than others
The Washington Post online
2020-10-30
As Floridians rush to vote in the presidential election, mail ballots from Black, Hispanic and younger voters are being flagged for problems at a higher rate than they are for other voters, potentially jeopardizing their participation in the race for the country’s largest battleground state.
‘They Don’t Really Want Us to Vote’: How Republicans Made It Harder
The New York Times online
2018-11-03
Damon Johnson is a 19-year-old sophomore studying chemical engineering at historically black Prairie View A&M University. He’s learning a lot about voting, too.
Articles (4)
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.
Auditing the 2020 General Election in Georgia: Residual Vote Rates and a Confusing Ballot Format
Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics and PolicyDavid Cottrell, et. al
2022-03-01
The 2020 general election in the United States took place against the backdrop of a pandemic and countless claims about voter fraud. The presidential race in Georgia was extremely close, and in this state both a hand and machine recount followed the initial promulgation of results. Armed with certified results, we conduct a statistical audit of the 2020 Georgia election by analyzing residual vote rates in statewide races.
Election Administration and Public Records Responsiveness
Public IntegrityAnna Baringer, et. al
2021-07-07
Is there an optimum method to elicit public records from election officials? Using a field experiment that randomly assigned the wording and email domains used to solicit public records, we test how county election offices respond to requests under given conditions.
Media
Publications:
Social