News and Achievements

Tuesday October 20, 2026 Ballots for the November 3 General election are currently being mailed from county auditors to the address on each voter’s registration record.  For many WSU students, that address is their home in county different than Whitman, where Pullman is located. If your ballot went to an address where you are not currently living this Fall, you still have […]

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,” […]

Thessalia Merivaki, director of the Foley Institute, co-authored an article for the Center for Technology and Democracy looking at how prediction markets are shaping the information environment around the 2026 midterms and the implications for election administration.

This opinion column from Lia Merivaki, director of the Foley Institute, discusses inviting elections officials from the state of Washington and Whitman County to speak with the WSU community about how voting in Washington state works and how they engage with voters on the ground. 

Bad actors seeking to misinform potential voters are taking a new approach.

Thessalia Merivaki, director of the Foley Institute, spoke with SciLine about how artificial intelligence is poised to impact the 2026 midterm elections.

Washington State University students who are registered to vote elsewhere in Washington can still cast their ballots in Pullman for the Nov. 3 general election, even if their ballots were mailed to their home addresses.

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.