Kevin Pallister
Department of History and Political Science
Bridgewater College
402 East College St.
Bridgewater, VA 22812
Academic Positions
Associate Professor, Department of History and Political Science, Bridgewater College (2022 - )
Assistant Professor, Department of History and Political Science, Bridgewater College (2016 - 2022)
Full Time Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (2013 - 2016)
Education
Ph.D. Political Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2013
Major Fields: Comparative Politics, International Relations
Dissertation: Bringing the Ballot Box to the People: Election Administration and the Origins of Inclusive Voting Practices.
M.A. International Relations, Boston University, 2005
B.A. Political Science, University of Rhode Island, 2002
Research and Teaching Interests
Election administration and political participation; election campaigns and political parties in Latin America; dictatorships and democratization; democratic backsliding; human rights.
Publications
Books
2024. Elections in Latin America: Campaigns, Voters, and Institutions. Rowman & Littlefield.
2017. Election Administration and the Politics of Voter Access. Routledge.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
2023. "The Medium and the Message in Argentina's Presidential Campaigns." (co-authored with Erin Fitzpatrick) International Journal of Press/Politics.
2021. "Digital Caudillos: The Use of Social Media in Guatemalan Presidential Campaigns." Journal of Politics in Latin America, 13 (2): 269-283.
2020. "Migrant Populations and External Voting: The Politics of Suffrage Expansion in Central America." Policy Studies, 41 (2-3): 271-287.
2017. "Guatemala: The Fight for Accountability and the Rule of Law." Revista de Ciencia Política, 37 (2): 227-249.
2015. "Teaching Globalization and Development through a Simulation." PS: Political Science & Politics, 48 (2): 364-367.
2013. "Why No Mayan Party? Indigenous Movements and National Politics in Guatemala." Latin American Politics and Society 55 (3): 117-138.
Book Chapters
2023. "Corruption as a Political Problem in Guatemala: Incentives and Institutions." In State-Society Relations in Guatemala: Theory and Practice, ed. Omar Sanchez-Sibony (Lexington Books).
2018. "Voting Procedures: Inclusion versus Security." In Electoral Integrity in America: Securing Democracy, eds. Pippa Norris, Sarah Cameron, and Thomas Wynter (Oxford University Press).
(with Susan Hyde). 2015. "Election Administration, Election Observation, and Election Quality." In Routledge Handbook of Comparative Political Institutions, eds. Jennifer Gandhi and Rubén Ruiz-Rufino.
Other Publications
2013. Review of Luciano Baracco(ed.), National Integration and Contested Autonomy: The Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. Bulletin of Latin American Research 32 (1): 112-114.
Teaching Experience
Bridgewater College (Fall 2016-present)
Intro to Comparative Politics
Intro to American Politics
Intro to Global Studies
Latin American Politics
Politics of Human Rights
U.S. Foreign Policy
Dictatorship and Democratization
Democracy and Its Discontents
Elections and Election Rigging
World Regional Geography
Senior Seminar in Political Science
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (Fall 2013-Spring 2016)
Intro to Comparative Politics
Intro to International Relations
Intro to American Politics
Intermediate Writing in Political Science
Latin American Politics
Politics of Human Rights
How to Rig an Election (Electoral Law and Democracy)
Political Science Research Methods (online)
University of Massachusetts-Amherst (Spring 2008-Spring 2013)
Interpretation and Analysis in Political Science
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Introduction to World Politics (online)
American Foreign Policy (online)
American International College (Spring 2013)
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Bunker Hill Community College (Fall 2006-Spring 2012)
Government and Politics in the U.S.
State and Local Politics (online)
Conference Presentations
“Concocting Unfree Elections in Guatemala.” Latin American Studies Association Congress, San Francisco, CA, May 24, 2025.
“Paths to Autocracy: Democratic Backsliding in Central America.” Latin American Studies Association Congress, Bogotá, Colombia, June 14, 2024.
"Democratic Backsliding in Central America.” Central American Politics Consortium, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, January 10, 2024 .
"Corruption as a Political Problem in Guatemala: Incentives and Institutions." Latin American Studies Association Congress, Vancouver, Canada, May 27, 2023.
"Electoral Dispute Institutions and the Legitimacy of Election Outcomes." Pre-APSA Workshop, Securing Elections: Foreign Meddling, Fake News, and Political Violence. Washington, D.C., August 28, 2019.
"Migrant Populations and External Voting: The Politics of Suffrage Expansion in Central America.” Pre-APSA Workshop, Building Better Elections: New Challenges in Electoral Management. Boston, MA, August 29, 2018.
"Access versus Integrity? Pursuing Voter Inclusion and Ballot Security in Election Administration." Pre-APSA Workshop, Protecting Electoral Integrity and Voting Rights: The 2016 U.S. Elections in Comparative Perspective, San Francisco, CA, August 30, 2017.
"Bringing the Ballot Box to the People: The Origins of Inclusive Election Administration Practices." Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association, Boston, MA, November 15-17, 2012. Also to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Il, April 11-14, 2013.
"Mixing Methods in Practice: Adding Qualitative Tools to the Study of Voter Turnout." Poster Presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., September 2-5, 2010.
"Transgovernmental Networks and Norm Diffusion: The Case of International Election Assistance." Annual Meeting of the New England Political Science Association, Newport, RI, April 23-24, 2010.
"International Organizations, Norms, and Domestic Institutional Change: The Case of Election Assistance." University of Connecticut Democracy and Democratization Conference, Storrs, CT, Feb. 26-27, 2010.
"Movements, Parties, and Indigenous Representation in Guatemala." Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association,Philadelphia, PA, November 19-21, 2009.
"Explaining Voter Turnout in Post-Conflict Central America: Revolutionary Legacies, Political Parties, and Popular Mobilization." University of Connecticut Democracy and Democratization Conference, Storrs, CT, Feb. 27-28, 2009.
Research Experience and Training
ICPSR Summer Workshop - Categorical Data Analysis Using STATA: Models for Binary, Ordinal, Nominal and Count Outcomes. University of Massachusetts Amherst, June 2010.
Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research, Syracuse University, May-June 2009
Experienced in elite interviewing: over 60 interviews conducted in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua in 2011-2012
Proficient in SPSS statistical software
Professional Activities
Peer Reviewer
Bulletin of Latin American Research
Comparative Politics
Election Law Journal
International Political Science Review
Journal of Politics in Latin America
Latin American Politics and Society
Latin American Research Review
Palgrave Communications
Party Politics
PS: Political Science & Politics
Revista de Ciencia Política
State Politics & Policy Quarterly
Advisory Work
Country expert, Perceptions of Electoral Integrity project (2021, 2023)
Country expert, Personalities of Presidents project (2021)
Country expert, Negative Campaigning Comparative Expert Survey Dataset (2019)
Advisory Board Member, Electoral Integrity Project’s Electoral Learning and Capacity Training (ELECT) research project (2015)
Media and Public Talks
Interview, “Bridgewater College Professor Warns U.S. Democracy Is in Peril,” Daily News Record (Harrisonburg) (March 4, 2025). https://www.dnronline.com/news/politics_and_government/bridgewater-college-professor-warns-u-s-democracy-is-in-peril/article_bacde573-4379-5701-93ab-eca03a09b589.html
Radio interview on book release, The Mike Schikman Show, WSVA Radio (2024)
Invited talk, “Understanding Dictatorships,” American Association of University Women, Bridgewater, VA (2024)
Invited talk, “U.S. Elections in International Perspective,” Sunnyside Retirement Community, Harrisonburg, VA (2023)
Speaker, Valley Votes Project, Harrisonburg, VA (2022). Covered by WMRA.org: https://www.wmra.org/2022-10-27/improving-trust-in-virginias-elections
Quoted in “What Is the Electoral Count Act—and Why Did the House Vote to Reform It?” Reader’s Digest (September 2022). https://www.rd.com/article/electoral-count-act/
Other Professional Service
Election Observer, Organization of American States, Guatemala (2011)
Select Service Activities
Adviser and Coach, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club, Bridgewater College (2016 – present)
Faculty Coach, Bridgewater College’s VFIC Ethics Bowl Team (2019 – 2023)
Honor Council Adviser, Bridgewater College (2022 – present)
Chair and Member, Research Resource Group, Bridgewater College (2019 – 2022)
Member, General Education Working Group, Bridgewater College (2017 – 2021)
Member, Sustainability Committee, Bridgewater College (2019-2020)
Member, New Faculty Development Committee, Bridgewater College (2017 – 2019)
Search Committee Member, Spanish (2023), History (2022), Global Politics (2017)
Online Program Coordinator, Political Science Department, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (2015 – 2016)
Curriculum Development Adviser to Undergraduate Program Director, Political Science Department, University of Massachusetts (2012 – 2013)
Languages
Spanish (Advanced Proficiency)
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