News and Achievements

Monday October 12, 2026  With the November 3 midterm elections approaching, voters encounter election information from many directions: news coverage, campaigns, social media feeds, friends and family, and now AI chatbots and AI Google summaries. Some of the information is accurate, and most of it is not. Voting rules also change from one election to […]

September 1, 2026 – US Midterm Election Series Seth McKee: “Midterm Elections in an Age of Political Volatility, 2004–2026” On September 1, the Foley Institute welcomed Seth McKee, who spoke on the connections between public disapproval of the presidential administration and possible consequences for the midterms.   Professor McKee opened his presentation by analyzing historical midterm […]

January 27, 2026 – Public Lecture Kate Starbird: “Rabbit holes, rumors, & online propaganda” On January 27, the Foley Institute hosted Kate Starbird, University of Washington, who discussed the ways that online rumors and misinformation are spread during crisis events. Professor Starbird opened her discussion with a pervasive internet rumor created in the wake of […]

September 4, 2025 – The Future of Liberal Democracy Series Gary Gerstle: “Neoliberalism and the changing political order” On September 4, the Foley Institute hosted Gary Gerstle, from Harvard University, who spoke on how the neoliberal order rose and fell in American politics and where the resulting ideological shift may take us in the future. […]

February 12, 2025 – Public Lecture Michael Goldsby: “Can beer save democracy?” On February 12, the Foley Institute hosted WSU’s Michael Goldsby, who spoke on how the damaging effects of increasing polarization and lack of common ground between citizens may be mitigated by sharing a beverage.   Professor Goldby opened his presentation by addressing the […]

August 27, 2024 – Public Lecture David Lublin: “Welcome to the 2024 Election!” On August 27, the institute hosted David Lublin, who spoke on the state of our political parties, their functionality, and the trends of heightened partisanship over the past decade.   During his presentation, Professor Lublin joked that political parties “disagree because they disagree,” […]

April 18, 2024 – Public Lecture Shepard Siegal: “Politics and the trickster” On Thursday, April 18th, The Foley Institute, along with the WSU Political Science Club, hosted author and activist Shepard Siegal as he spoke broadly about the Trickster character type. The trickster is a universal folktale archetype that commonly challenges societal values and beliefs. […]

Thessalia Merivaki, director of the Foley Institute, joined The Journalist’s Resource as a panelist for an hour-long question-and-answer session about what’s top of mind for voters and election officials this fall from a journalist’s perspective.

Thessalia Merivaki, director of the Foley Institute, spoke with The Markup about what happens when more voters than ever are using AI to get election information, what election officials have done to make sure accurate information cuts through the noise, and how we all can work toward a more resilient electorate in the age of AI.

The Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University is cosponsoring a nonpartisan panel debate on the three statewide initiatives on Washington’s November 2026 ballot in partnership with Braver Angels of Washington State.

Thessalia Merivaki, Director of Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Service and Public Policy at WSU, provided insight into interviewing local officials about electoral processes.

Thessalia Merivaki, Director of Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Service and Public Policy at WSU, appeared as one of the panelists for this discussion.

Thessalia Merivaki, professor of government and director of the Foley Institute, was quoted in an CNBC article about election officials banning certain public workers from trading on prediction markets ahead of midterm elections.