Professional Bio

Sam Marks is a first-year PhD candidate. He comes from Binghamton University, where he received a Bachelor's in Political Science and a Master's in Public Administration.

His research focus is American politics and political methodology. Specifically, his research interests involve elections and voting, including the role of representation, through a behavioral lens. He is particularly interested in disenfranchisement and geographic effects on voting (i.e. the correlation between post-industrialization and populist candidates).

His research interest in disenfranchisement is multifaceted. The first aspect relates to felon disenfranchisement, particularly the effects of such practices when analyzed geographically. Moreover, he is interested in assessing the effects and impact of felon disenfranchisement on eligible voting populations. What are the socialization effects of voting ineligibility for segments of the population within the broader community? This is particularly crucial to assess through a racial and socioeconomic lens; why are the targets of felon disenfranchisement proportionally unequal, and who benefits from such practices? In addition, he is interested in assessing the variances in representation relative to felon-disenfranchised populations, particularly when considering Pitkin’s paradigms of representation. He is especially intrigued by the conceptualizations of substantive representation and electoral accountability for a group that is unable to select such representation, yet counts toward population totals.

Beyond disenfranchisement, his research on elections and voting largely examines the correlation between geographically bound post-industrialization and favoritism toward populist/extremist candidates. This research analyzes socioeconomic and industrialization data mapped against voting patterns assessed at the district level. In addition, his research assesses the types of representation selected by these districts; are they allured by substantive promises, descriptive similarities, and/or symbolization?