Professor Joshua A. Douglas Shines Light on UK Law During Election Season

November 22, 2016

Leading up to the 2016 Presidential Election, Joshua A. Douglas, Robert G. Lawson & William H. Fortune Associate Professor of Law at the University of Kentucky College of Law, worked tirelessly to inform people across the nation about election issues through opinion pieces and media commentary.

Professor Douglas took part in public debates over disputed issues, such a voter ID proposition in Missouri, a proposition to lower the voting age in San Francisco to 16, and, furthermore, engaged UK Law students’ public outreach through the Election Law Society. Professor Douglas appeared as a guest on WUKY's UK Perspectives on November 2, where he spoke about the student organization’s Election Analysis Blog. Under his supervision, law students fielded questions from the general public and media, and provided easy-to-understand legal explanations during the vote counting and casting process on election night. The blog received traffic from 40 of the 50 states and attracted visitors from 11 other countries including Ireland, Russia, and South Korea.

“The event provides a valuable educational exercise for our students while also benefitting the general public, as the traffic to the website shows,” said Professor Douglas.

Professor Douglas authored a number of editorials, mostly in nationally distributed outlets, on various election-related topics. The Good News on Voting and Democracy was published in USA Today on October 23. Several op-eds were also published on CNN.com, including: A Disputed Presidential Election Would Be a Mess on November 4; McConnell, denounce Trump’s ‘rigged election’ comments on October 17; and How the Senate Could Safeguard the Election on August 30. On Election Day, the election law expert even made a live appearance on CNN to respond to questions about ballot security and related matters.

“I’ve been amazed at how he’s been able to do it all, while continuing to keep up with course preparation, meet with students, and participate in faculty candidate interviews,” said Scott Bauries, a colleague and Robert G. Lawson Professor of Law at UK Law.

Professor Douglas’ other notable media commentary from this election season include:

• Impacts of Local Law Voting Rights: Interview with Joshua Douglas, Scholastica
• Supreme Court won't restore court order against Trump over poll-watching in Ohio, CNN
• Yes, It’s Perfectly Legal to Swap Votes, The Wrap
• An election 'nightmare:' Supreme Court tying 4-4 on dispute, Associated Press (published in Washington Post, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Could You Rig An Election in Kentucky?, Louisville Courier-Journal
• Election Officials Acknowledge Voter Fraud But Say Trump Concerns Overblown, Washington Times
• Voter Fraud is Extremely Rare, Hard to Accomplish, Researchers Say, Voices of America
• The Supreme Court’s Election Day ‘Doomsday Scenario’, CNN
• Election Law with Joshua A. Douglas, University of Kentucky Research Blog
• An Expert Explains What Would Happen if Voter Fraud Decided the Election, Vice

Although Election Day has come and gone and the results are now in, media inquiries have not slowed down for Professor Douglas. He continues to provide commentary, participate in interviews, and write op-eds such as, Judges, Keep the Polls Open on Election Day, published on CNN.com and Expanding the Right to Vote, published on Penn Law School’s RegBlog, to ensure the public is up to speed on all things election law.

“I am often reminded of how lucky I am to work with such outstanding colleagues here at UK, and this election season, I just want to say that I’m particularly proud that Josh is out there shining a light on our law school,” said Professor Bauries.