I joined the faculty in the Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland in the Fall of 2007. I am currently a Professor in GVPT and Research Director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement. I earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Michigan in 2004, a M.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and a B.A. in Economics from the State University of New York College at Geneseo. From Fall 2004-Spring 2007 I was an assistant professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University.
I specialize in American politics and political methodology. My book, Discount Voting: Voter Registration Reforms and Their Effects (Cambridge University Press, 2009), investigates the effects of registration laws on turnout, the composition of the electorate, and party behavior in the United States. I am a co-author of Voting Technology: The Not-So-Simple Act of Casting a Ballot (Brookings Institution Press, 2008). I've also published articles on the effect of ballot style on electoral outcomes, election day registration, voting systems, the over-reporting of voting in surveys, vote-by-mail, absentee and early voting, voter identification laws, limited dependent variable models, the use of ecological inference estimators to understand split-ticket voting, mobilization, and youth voting. My current research investigates how public agencies can encourage compliance with federal civil rights laws, how mobilization influences the use of new voting methods, vote over-reporting, and how international reputation influences the evaluation of political leaders, and question wording effects.
I am also the faculty advisor for the UMD Mens Club Hockey Teams.
I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and believe that the Buffalo Bills will someday win the Super Bowl. After growing up watching curling (think shuffle board on ice, not weight lifting) on CBC, I joined the Detroit Curling Club during graduate school. When I can, I now curl at the Potomac Curling Club.
Areas of Interest
- Voting; Elections; Public Opinion; Election Reform; Political Methodology; Survey Research Methods
Degrees
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Degree TypePh.DDegree DetailsPolitical Science, University of Michigan
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Degree TypeMSDegree DetailsEconomics, University of Wisconsin
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Degree TypeBADegree DetailsEconomics, SUNY Genesco
Featured Publications
- “Behind the Curve: Clarifying the Best Approach to Calculating Predicted Probabilities and Marginal Effects from Limited Dependent Variable Models.” (Michael J. Hanmer and Kerem Ozan Kalkan). American Journal of Political Science, 57:263-277, 2013. Supplemental Information.
- Discount Voting: Voter Registration Reforms and Their Effects. (Michael J. Hanmer). Cambridge University Press. 2009.
- “Experiments to Reduce the Over-Reporting of Voting: A Pipeline to the Truth.” (Michael J.Hanmer, Antoine J. Banks, and Ismail K. White. Political Analysis, 22:130-141, 2014.
Articles
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“Understanding the Adoption of Voter Identification Laws in the American States.” (Daniel R.Biggers and Michael J. Hanmer). Forthcoming in American Politics Research.
- “Encouraging Local Compliance with Federal Civil Rights Laws: Field Experiments with the National Voter Registration Act.” (Douglas R. Hess, Michael J. Hanmer, and David W. Nickerson). Public Administration Review, 76:165-174, 2016.
- “Message, Milieu, Technology, and Turnout Among Military and Overseas Voters.”(Paul S. Herrnson, Ho Youn Koh, Michael J. Hanmer, and Claire Smith). Electoral Studies, 39, 142-152, 2015.
- “Who Makes Voting Convenient? Explaining the Adoption of Early and No-Excuse Absentee Voting in the American States.”(Daniel R. Biggers and Michael J. Hanmer). State Politics and Policy Quarterly, 15, 192-210, 2015.
- “The Impact of E-mail on the Use of New Convenience Voting Methods and Turnout by Overseas Voters: A Field Experiment to Address Their Challenges with New Technology.” (Michael J. Hanmer, Paul S. Herrnson, and Claire Smith). Election Law Journal, 14, 97-110, 2015.
- “Ecological Inference Under Unfavorable Conditions: Straight and Split-Ticket Voting in Diverse Settings and Small Samples.” (Won-ho Park, Michael J. Hanmer, and Daniel R. Biggers). Electoral Studies,36:192-203, 2014.
- “The Impact of Ballot Type on Voter Errors.” (Paul S. Herrnson, Michael J. Hanmer, and Richard G. Niemi). American Journal of Political Science, 56:716-730, 2012. *Also included in AJPS Virtual Issue: What Has The NSF Wrought, Part II?
- “Voter Turnout Among College Students: New Data and a Rethinking of Traditional Theories.” (Richard G. Niemi and Michael J. Hanmer). Social Science Quarterly, 91:301-323, 2010.
- “Losing Fewer Votes: The Impact of Changing Voting Systems on Residual Votes.” (Michael J. Hanmer, Won-ho Park, Michael W. Traugott, Richard G. Niemi, Paul S. Herrnson, Frederick G. Conrad, and Benjamin B. Bederson). Political Research Quarterly, 63:129-142, 2010.
- “Where Can and Should College Students Vote?: A Legal and Empirical Perspective.” (Richard G. Niemi, Michael J. Hanmer, and Thomas H. Jackson). Election Law Journal, 8:327-348, 2009.
- “Electronic Voting Eliminates Hanging Chads But Introduces New Usability Challenges.”(Frederick G. Conrad, Benjamin B. Bederson, Brian Lewis, Emilia Peytcheva, Michael W. Traugott, Michael J. Hanmer, Paul S. Herrnson, and Richard G. Niemi). International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 67:111-124, 2009.
- “Voter Reactions to Electronic Voting Systems: Results from a Usability Field Test.”(Paul S.Herrnson, Richard G. Niemi, Michael J. Hanmer, Peter L. Francia, Benjamin B. Bederson, Frederick G. Conrad, and Michael W. Traugott). American Politics Research, 36:580-611, 2008.
- “An Alternative Approach to Estimating Who is Most Likely to Respond to Changes in Registration Laws.” Political Behavior, 29:1-30, 2007.
- “Good Excuses:Understanding Who Votes with an Improved Turnout Question.” (Brian Duff, Michael J. Hanmer, Won-ho Park, and Ismail K. White). Public Opinion Quarterly, 71:67-90, 2007.
- “The Impact of Vote-By-Mail on Voter Behavior.” (Michael J. Hanmer and Michael W. Traugott). American Politics Research,32:375-405, 2004.
