We've had more than our fair share of election news as of late. But there's one development that has nothing to do with Trump, and it's coming out of MIT. The university just announced the start of the Election Data and Science Lab, a new venture that will be dedicated to researching how to improve elections based on scientific principles.
The Election Lab, which officially launched earlier this month, was founded by Charles Stewart III, a political science professor at MIT. It will be housed within the Institute's School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) and it will allow for independent research into the administration of American elections.
“In the midst of a policy area that has become hyperpoliticized, we aim to provide a counterbalance of hard evidence and analytical thinking," Stewart told MIT. “The Election Lab will serve as an international, non-partisan resource, with the expertise and evidence necessary to inform improvements of elections.”
According to MIT, Stewart has an expertise in election processes work, the impact they have on the population and where there's room for improvement. Among his work, the professor is a founding member of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, an initiative started following the 2000 presidential election.
Now, through the MIT Election Lab, Stewart said a major focus will be analyzing the election administration in 2016 and its performance. "We look forward to bringing together communities in the election administration debate, some of whom often talk past each other, by offering evidence-rich focal points of discussion," he told MIT.
