Election 2020

President-elect Joe Biden removes his face mask to speak at The Queen theater on Nov. 5, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo by Carolyn Kaster

Will Biden’s proposed mask mandate actually force people to wear facial coverings?

Probably not, because any mandate he tried to impose would likely face court challenges. But there are other ways he can use the power of the presidency to try to get more people on board, including a direct appeal to our conscience, professors Wendy Parmet and Patricia Illingworth say.

by Peter Ramjug November 19, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden speaks Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Biden's challenge will be to surround himself with 'excellent' people to manage the coronavirus

In a freewheeling political analysis of the 2020 election, Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee for president in 1988, said he is confident in Joe Biden’s ability to manage a surge in pandemic infections and hospitalizations because of the president-elect’s management style of surrounding himself with “excellent people who know what they’re doing.”

by Peter Ramjug November 12, 2020

The magnolia centered banner chosen on Sept. 2, 2020 by the Mississippi State Flag Commission flies outside the Old State Capitol Museum in downtown Jackson, Miss. The nine member committee voted to recommend a design with the state flower. That design will go on the November ballot for voters consideration and if approved, it will become the new state flag. AP Photo by Rogelio V. Solis

‘This could serve as a source of empowerment for African Americans’

On Election Day, Mississippi became the final state to dissociate from the Confederate emblem, an enduring symbol of slavery in the southern U.S. This symbolic change could have lasting impact, says Patricia Davis, an associate professor at Northeastern who studies public memory, identity, race, gender, and representation.

by Ian Thomsen November 10, 2020

A general view of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on October 21, 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. AP Photo by Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA

An economic stimulus measure could still pass this year despite an election upheaval

Once President-elect Joe Biden takes office, little cooperation from a divided Congress is expected on most major legislative issues. The new president can still pull the levers of power to accomplish some of his administration’s priorities, professors Wendy Parmet and David Lazer say.

by Peter Ramjug November 9, 2020

An election worker handles ballots as vote counting in the general election continues at State Farm Arena on Nov. 4, 2020, in Atlanta. AP Photo by Brynn Anderson

Will Trump complete any of his ‘Hail Mary’ election lawsuits?

With Joe Biden on the verge of claiming the presidency, legal efforts by President Donald Trump to turn the election are equivalent to last-ditch plays at the end of a football game, according to Dan Urman, who teaches Constitutional law and the modern U.S. Supreme Court at Northeastern. “But sometimes Hail Mary passes get caught,” adds Urman.

by Ian Thomsen November 5, 2020

How did the polls get it so wrong...again?

Trump out-performed polls in nine states by a median of six points, says Nick Beauchamp, assistant professor of political science. “That’s a shockingly large error,” he says. There are several theories why. But either way, it doesn’t portend well for the future of polling, he warns.

by Peter Ramjug November 4, 2020

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

30M tweets about COVID-19, and not all of them contain the truth. Who’s spreading misinformation?

They’re older women and mostly Republican, and they are six times more likely to share URLs from fake news domains than younger people, a new national study finds. And yet, they’re also more informed

by Peter Ramjug and Eunice Esomonu October 21, 2020

A billboard advertises the Democratic Presidential Debates across from the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. The debates are scheduled to take place June 26 and 27, with 10 candidates competing each night. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

What to watch for in the Democratic presidential debates

The debates, which start Wednesday night, could provide an indication of “the future identity of the Democratic party,” says Thomas Vicino, a political science professor at Northeastern.

by Molly Callahan June 25, 2019