Gretchen Helmke

Rochester political scientists say concerns about this year’s electoral process are challenging some fundamental ideas about the nation.

Political scientists explore how the November election will be viewed if there’s a split between the popular vote and the Electoral College count.

Latest Bright Line Watch analysis finds erosion “across the board” on measures of democratic principles and how well the US is abiding by them.

The nonpartisan Bright Line Watch research group finds that perceptions of the health of US democracy clearly declined after the president’s impeachment.

In a study spanning the first 18 months of the Donald Trump presidency, the non-partisan Bright Line Watch research group found large areas of agreement as to what constitutes critical democratic principles, but little agreement over which have been violated.

In a recent experiment, a group of political scientists has found that when choosing a candidate, party affiliation outweighs a candidate's policy positions and their support for democratic norms for both Democrats and Republicans surveyed.

Both the general public and political science experts rate the performance of US democratic institutions significantly lower than half a year ago, according to the fifth and latest survey from Bright Line Watch.

“One of the greatest threats to democracy is the idea that it is unassailable.” That’s the tagline of Bright Line Watch, which neatly sums up the group’s motivation. Made up of four political scientists including University of Rochester professor Gretchen Helmke, the non-partisan initiative has set out to monitor democratic institutions in the United States and potential threats to those practices.

The third Bright Line Watch survey, co-authored by Rochester political scientist Gretchen Helmke, focuses on the health of U.S. democratic institutions and compares the results from thousands of political professionals with the general public.

When conducting field research around the world, young social scientists can often feel as if they are starting from scratch. A new website envisioned by political scientist Gretchen Helmke will help scholars share resources with other social scientists on the ground.