Jack Santucci

Relevant to the mayor's race...
www.gc.cuny.edu/sites/defaul...

@kylesaunders.bsky.social ?

Fascinating data here on local politicians’ use of social media open.substack.com/pub/rosecity...

This is a good post! I keep using 1234 or 12345, but only for visualization stuff like jittering. For real stuff, I go to random dot org (based on atmospheric noise) and create a random 8+ digit integer, generally one for each brms model I run in a project

Although studies of Americans’ general discussant networks have been repeated over time, research that assesses change in the nature of Americans’ political discussion networks has yet to be conducted in nationally representative probability surveys. In this study I answer two questions about the quality of the American public sphere that have generated widespread speculation, but little evidence to date. First, how have Americans’ political discussion networks changed over the past 25 y? Second, are the consequences of these changes what one would expect based on previous theory linking Americans’ interpersonal information environments to political tolerance and political participation? I resolve competing claims suggesting that people feel less free to discuss politics, with claims suggesting instead that political discussion now permeates everyday life to a greater extent than in the past. Findings suggest widespread increases in political discussion, changes driven almost entirely by increases in like-minded political discussion partners. Surprisingly, Americans are no more or less likely to engage in conversations across lines of political difference. The predicted consequences of these fluctuations confirm an intrinsic tension between characteristics valued in democratic citizens. Political tolerance has declined significantly, along with decreased awareness of rationales for others’ relative to one’s own views. Political participation is significantly higher on average than 25 y ago. Few people reported engaging with online political discussants, despite efforts to make sure they were included in network measures

Diana Mutz updating her classic work on deliberation across political differences in the US: www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

TL;DR is that political discussion across political divides is down and participation is up, along with the fraught pervasiveness of politics in social life.

Abstract:

The Partisan Corruption of U.S. Foreign Policy Abstract. Intense partisanship has become a major corrupting influence in the formulation of, and debate about, U.S. foreign policy, with domestic politica

academic.oup.com/psq/advance-...

Close reading as a scientific method
jacksantucci.substack.com/p/close-read...

Logo and map of "State Politics & Policy Quarterly", featuring stylized text next to a fragmented map outline of the United States.

#OpenAccess from State Politics & Policy Quarterly -

Participation and Competition in Top-Two Elections: Trade-Offs in Election Reform - https://cup.org/4hmd9j9

- @jandrewsinclair.bsky.social, Ian O’Grady, Bryn Miller & Catherine M. Murphy

#FirstView

Sorting It Out in the American States: Party Ideology and Mass Alignment Abstract. While partisan cleavages in the United States are well documented, less is known about how the ideological positioning of state political parties

doi.org/10.1093/publ...

Logo of the journal "Studies in American Political Development" featuring the acronym "SAPD" in large blue letters on a golden background, with the full title written in smaller font below.

NEW ISSUE from @studiesapd.bsky.social -

Studies in American Political Development - Volume 39 - Issue 2 - October 2025 - https://cup.org/3KL7Eyo

#OpenAccess

Many countries have messed-up democracies right now. Here’s one way to know. The western world is talking about confusing ballots at a point in time when they are more user-friendly than ever.

Ugly ballot, but you only need to pick one candidate.

What is emergent proportionality? www.amacad.org/sites/defaul...

Mass higher education and voter turnout in the U.S. Have turnout rates in the U.S. risen as more Americans have attained college degrees? Educational attainment is associated with a higher likelihood of…

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

jacksantucci.substack.com/p/how-to-get... <- Thoughts on how to get better thesis statements

It’s like a mini “theory section”

Here is a “skeleton outline” I made before switching 100% to rubrics.

Giving feedback on papers reminded me of the “definitions paragraph” it describes. Showing students what this is might help with the tendency to write body paragraphs in author-by-author fashion.

www.voteguy.com/2023/10/24/s...

Possibly useful if you’re working with CVR data from STV elections: github.com/jacksantucci...

A great overview of an important local gov’t reform! Ties together many different literatures and shows how the unexpected can happen in implementation. Thanks @jacksantucci.bsky.social !

A very useful history thread with new findings re: local gov’t.

Medium Rare if it still exists. Haven’t been since before covid.

And @cselmendorf.bsky.social

There are implications for housing policy and anti-vote-dilution uses of related reforms. Possibly of interest to @stano.bsky.social @hankinson.bsky.social @kevintmorris.bsky.social et al.

Here is a short piece on the proportional representation exercise in Portland (OR), what might be needed to make it a success, and the nationwide implications. www.city-journal.org/article/port...

Third dissertation paper is out now in @govandopp.bsky.social!

OA: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

It studies the ideological structure of European electorates – finding broad similarities between countries, despite that party electorates and social groups remain structured nationally

THIS.

Much of the critical Voting Rights Act narrative critiques a strawman that doesn’t exist. The real VRA is relentlessly local, relentlessly fact-driven, and relentlessly effective in low-profile contexts.

That includes districts that never become cases, bc of compliance w/o litigation.

Although the Callais case at SCOTUS involves a high-profile congressional redistricting dispute, important to remember that most Section 2 cases (2/3!) continue to involve local government bodies like city councils & school boards. - mostly challenges to at-large systems.

A big claim, soon to be tested