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How to celebrate Small Business Week—special events, speakers + more
🥳 SMALL BUSINESS WEEK IS BACK: What to know about Bham’s biggest week celebrating local entrepreneurs—plus events you won’t want to miss May 3–9. NowPartner
Are Health Insurance Companies the Reason for Our Health System’s Ills?
In this JAMA Health Forum column, KFF's Larry Levitt examines the criticism that health insurance companies are facing from political leaders, and explores the industry's role in both causing and addressing some of the health systems' biggest problems, including rising costs and prior authorization review.
Public-private partnerships go to space
Here are some of the most prominent commercial players in the new space race. Look beyond the rockets to the utilities...
What is a Silicon-Carbon Battery? The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra’s Secret Weapon Explained
Discover how Silicon-Carbon battery tech gives the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra the biggest capacity boost in a decade.
Google Wallet rolling out big homepage, search redesign
Google Wallet is beginning to widely roll out a big redesign of the app on Android that upgrades the passes experience.
Quick look at the best read Tri-Cities business stories this week
From a major tax break proposal in Pasco to a new rail deal at Big Pasco Industrial Park, it was a busy week for business and community news in the Tri-Cities.
Big Health System CEOs to Testify Before Congress as Health Care Costs Continue to Skyrocket
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee announced a hearing next week with hospital system CEOs, Families USA, the longtime national nonpartisan health care consumer advocacy organization, released the following statement by its executive director, Anthony Wright: “The CEOs of the big hospital chains have some explaining to do […]
Tim Cook Calls Apple Maps Launch His 'First Really Big Mistake' as CEO
Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has named the botched 2012 launch of Apple Maps as his "first really big mistake" in the role, according to a Bloomberg report covering the town hall meeting that was held Tuesday with his recently announced successor, John Ternus. The Maps app launched with mislabeled landmarks, faulty directions, and a user experience that fell well short of Google Maps at the time.
2026 Geochemistry Fellow David Catling reflects on a career spent trying to answer science’s biggest questions
2026 Geochemistry Fellow David Catling reflects on a career spent trying to answer science’s biggest questions
Romanian Cabinet Loses Parliamentary Majority as Top Party Quits
Romania’s biggest political party quit the government after disagreements over unpopular austerity measures, leaving Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan in charge of a minority cabinet.
Apple Maps was Tim Cook's biggest mistake
Speaking to employees, outgoing CEO Tim Cook talked about his time leading Apple, citing both the successes he is most proud of, and admitting to the one main failure.
NBA Playoffs Power Rankings for the remaining teams
The NBA Playoffs are underway. The early story was the Orlando Magic giving the Detroit Pistons issues. Orlando entered the playoffs confidently, and it has shown through two games. The biggest story is the health of San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama.…
‘Their favourite games were already built with AI’: Google exec says almost every big studio uses AI, but not all disclose it
Google Cloud’s games boss cites Capcom as one major studio that uses AI tools…
Android 17 isn't out yet, but Google is already testing its first big update
Google has released Android 17 QPR1 Beta 1 for Pixel devices.
Neal Milner: We Are All Victims Of The Sylvia Luke Mess
Her decision not to run for reelection doesn’t address the bigger problem — how inept the state is when it comes to corruption investigations.
Huge and Highly Praised Crimson Desert PS5 Patch Out Now, Difficulty Options and Better Visuals Included
The game's biggest update yet
Crimson Desert Gets Its Biggest Patch Yet, Adds Difficulty Settings, Much-Needed Storage Improvements, and Even Birds as Pets
Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss has released update 1.04.00, which makes significant improvements to the game. Chief among them is the addition of difficulty settings, new storage improvements, new pets, keyboard/mouse and controller preset options, new category tabs for the inventory, new skills, improvements to distant scenery quality, and a lot more.
‘The Neighbourhood’: Creative Team Behind ITV’s Latest Big Entertainment Bet On Host Graham Norton’s Perfectly “Mischievous & Witty” Tone: “We Feel Lucky To Have Got Him Inbetween Taylor Swift Video Shoots”
Graham Norton clearly doesn’t do things by halves and he spent a full month living around the corner from contestants on The Neighbourhood, ITV’s constructed reality series that launches Saturday nigh...
German Business Activity Unexpectedly Shrinks as Services Plunge
(Bloomberg)--German private-sector activity unexpectedly contracted as the Iran war triggered the biggest plunge in the services sector in more than three years.
New UC Davis startup program aims to build the next big life science companies
UC Davis' "Aggie Venture Accelerator" offers up to $250K for select early-stage companies
MHS sports weekly notebook from the diamond to the court
High fives for boys tennis The Marblehead High boys tennis team (5-1) made it five in a row after beating hosts Swampscott (5-0, April 13) and non-league Lynnfield (4-1, April 16) last week. It’s always good to beat your longtime rival, and that’s what the Magicians did to the Big Blue, under the direction of
Big Ten Men's Lacrosse 2026 Tournament bracket
The Ohio State men's lacrosse team will be trying to match its regular season conference title in the Big Ten Tournament. Here is the bracket.
Here’s What’s In Crimson Desert’s Biggest Patch Since Launch
Crimson Desert just unleashed a new patch that is so sprawling it's hard to get through all the notes. So I'm here to pull out the best ones.
Big Ten Women's 2026 Tennis Tournament bracket
The Ohio State women's tennis team won a share of the Big Ten regular season and it'll look to double down with a conference tournament championship.
Focus at Four: College Station rising as a Summer sports destination
College Station is leveling up its summers. From the Savannah Bananas to international soccer, the city is landing big-time events to boost its local economy and put itself on the map beyond Aggie football.
Edison Park businesses see Bears potential stadium in Arlington Heights as boost
There are some business owners in Edison Park who see a potential new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights as an economic boost.
Youssef Zalal aims to end Aljamain Sterling's 'point-proving streak'
Just days ahead of his first UFC main event, Youssef Zalal can feel he's on the verge of big things in his career.
'Big loss' for F1 if Verstappen quits, say McLaren rivals
If four-time world champion Max Verstappen were to quit Formula One, as he has hinted on numerous occasions, it would be a "big loss" for the sport, his McLaren rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri said on Wednesday."I think it would be a big loss for the sport as a whole.
Trump Media replaces Nunes as Truth Social CEO after stock plunge that wiped out billions
The Trump business behind Truth Social is replacing a former congressman and big supporter of the U.S. president as the leader of the social media platform after a stock collapse that wiped out billions in investor wealth.
Ace tanks spearhead vehicular carnage with new Armoured Gauntlet rules
Fight big armoured battles with the new Armageddon: The Return of Yarrick expansion.
Hochul’s stealth business-tax hike proves she doesn't care about NY's future
Embracing a special NYC pied-a-terre levy turns out not to be Gov. Kathy Hochul’s only violation of her "no new taxes" vows — nor even the first or the biggest.
Is SBA moving the small business contracting goal posts?
The Small Business Administration wants to put a bigger focus on contracting with veterans-owned firms and efforts to root out fraud.
2026 NFL Draft Odds: Back Big Ten to Have Even Bigger Round 1
Find out why Geoff Schwartz is backing the Big Ten to have more than a handful players hear their names called on Thursday.
Is tit-for-tat political gerrymandering the future of US politics?
Virginia voters delivered a major win to Democrats on Tuesday.A narrow majority voted to allow lawmakers to bypass the state's bipartisan redistricting commission. That means the Democratic-led legislature will create a map that’s more favorable to them in the midterms.It's the latest chapter in a redistricting saga that President Trump started last year, but is the tit-for-tat redistricting battle the future of US electoral politics?We speak with Democratic Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger to hear her perspective.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam and Matt Ozug. It was edited by Tinbete Ermyas. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
Tim Cook Regrets Maps Flub, Sees Apple Watch as His Proudest Work
Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, who plans to step down in a few months, cited the launch of Apple Maps on the iPhone in 2012 as his “first really big mistake” as the company’s boss.
Where MrBeast is turning for entertainment inspiration
The world's biggest creator, Jimmy Donaldson, grew up on YouTube videos. Now he has another media obsession: Hollywood films.
How To Run Pragmata At 1440p on PlayStation 5
A big improvement over stock 1080p - but frame-rates are impacted.
Michigan football's biggest weakness may not be what you think
ESPN identified Michigan football's strengths and weaknesses after the spring game, but the Wolverines' true challenge may lie elsewhere.
Snooki reveals regrets after cancer diagnosis (exclusive)
After being diagnosed with cervical cancer, Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi is opening up on her big health regret.
Saints give no guarantees for futures of 2 franchise greats
The New Orleans Saints are in the midst of transitioning into the future. That began last season, when the team was in a rebuilding year that culminated with Tyler Shough giving hope for the future. This year, the next step…
Using AI To Personalize Healthcare–Without Losing Patient Trust
In this week’s edition of InnovationRx, we look at the opportunities and challenges of using AI to personalize healthcare and speed up clinical trials, the future of genetic medicine, another big Lilly acquisition, and more.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger says she’s not surprised about narrow margin of victory for Dems in redistricting fight
Spanberger signs bills to improve maternal health care in Virginia
Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Wednesday signed a bipartisan package of bills aimed at improving maternal health care and expanding support for mothers.
High school sports top performers from Tuesday aren't taking it easy
They certainly aren't on a break. Tuesday's Fantastic 5(+1) high school sports performers put up big numbers and delivered in the clutch.
Midco announces $43M investment to finish Fiber Forward in South Dakota
Midco is making a big investment to finish its future-focused fiber upgrade -- including $20 million in Sioux Falls over the next few years.
Big-data game changer: Marquette develops a new generation of analytics-savvy sports scientists
Offering hands-on research experience with Marquette DI teams and lessons from Olympic partnerships, the Master’s in Sports and Exercise Analytics program prepares students to lead in the new world of data-driven exercise science.
Big-data game changer: Marquette develops a new generation of analytics-savvy sports scientists
Offering hands-on research experience with Marquette DI teams and lessons from Olympic partnerships, the Master’s in Sports and Exercise Analytics program prepares students to lead in the new world of data-driven exercise science.
With Midterms Coming Up, G.O.P. Is Bogged Down in Congress
Republican majorities are at odds on big issues as the Senate resorts to extraordinary measures to pass homeland security funding over a Democratic blockade.
Gamers sue Nintendo over tariff refunds, saying consumers should get the money back
Two gamers have filed a class action lawsuit against Nintendo, alleging that the company will be unjustly enriching itself with any refund it secures from the U.S. government over widespread tariffs last year that, among other things, hiked the prices of Nintendo hardware and accessories. “Unless restrained by this Court, Nintendo stands to recover the same tariff payments twice—once from consumers through higher prices and again from the federal government through tariff refunds, including interest paid by the government on those funds,” the suit states. Nintendo sued the U.S. government to secure a tariff refund in March, after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs a month prior, saying they were illegally implemented by President Donald Trump.. The gamers who have sued, California-based Gregory Hoffert and Washington-based Prashant Sharan, both say they purchased Nintendo goods that had increased in price due to tariffs, according to the complaint. They filed their suit in the Western District court of Nintendo of America’s home state of Washington and are seeking class action status to represent all people in the U.S. who purchased price-hiked Nintendo goods between February 1, 2025 and February 24, 2026. They allege that Nintendo’s recovery of any tariff refunds would constitute unjust enrichment and violate Washington state consumer protection law. Similar class action lawsuits pressing companies to pass on tariff refunds have been previously filed against FedEx, UPS and eyeglass importer EssilorLuxottica. The tariffs were announced in early April, and by mid-month, Nintendo had announced $5 price increases for controllers for the then-forthcoming Switch 2. In August, it raised the price of the original Switch. In their suit, the gamers cite comments from Nintendo executives connecting the tariffs to price increases. In May 2025, a month after the tariffs were imposed, Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa told investors “Our basic policy is that for any country or region, if tariffs are imposed, we recognize them as a part of the cost and incorporate them into the price.” Nintendo’s March lawsuit, along with tariff-recovery suits from hundreds of other companies was immediately put on hold pending the implementation of a refund system. The U.S. government announced the beginning of the refund process earlier this week. Companies could receive as much as $160 billion, per CNBC. In March 2026, after Nintendo filed its lawsuit to recover the cost of the tariffs, I asked the company if they planned to pass their refund on to customers who’d paid increased prices. The company’s response acknowledged the existence of the lawsuit but avoided answering that question: “We can confirm that we filed a request. We have nothing else to share on this topic.” Even a promise to consumers may not have spared Nintendo this week’s lawsuit. FedEx previously promised to pass its tariff refunds on to consumers. They’ve been sued over them anyway.
Armageddon! Fiasco! Disarray! Is California politics really a total disaster?
Your morning catch-up: A look at California's political dysfunction, plus fraud in the state's hospice industry and more big stories
2026 NFL Draft: Every team's most ideal pick in Round 1
Here's the player each team would like to select in the first round to address biggest need
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama out with concussion; final NFL Draft big board; Bulls' Donovan steps down
Plus our way-too-early women's college basketball rankings
Google Maps is about to get a big dose of AI
Generative AI is being infused into Google's popular feature within Maps.
Crooked Letter Sports: There’s a draft in here
We take a look at what the 2026 NFL Draft might look like for Mississippi’s top prospects, and what the New Orleans Saints need to do to continue their rebuild. Plus, baseball heats up as the Big 3 get back on track and the Braves jump out to a truly remarkable start.
Editorial: Corporations spend big in Florida politics
Florida lawmakers cannot legally accept contributions during the 60-day session, but they were flooded with money the day before session began. A proposal out of Montana could change that.
Why the Best Athletes Are Also the Biggest Quitters
Knowing when to try something new versus stick with what you’re doing is tricky. Decision scientists have advice.
The health misinformation crisis is bigger than anyone thought: Most people worldwide believe at least one of 6 common medical myths
A global Edelman survey yields a "stunning set of facts": seven in 10 believe at least one debunked health claim regardless of education, politics or age.
'We didn't run out of time... We wasted it'
Right now, Tottenham fans would do almost anything for a sliver more. As 2025 turned into 2026, the boardroom at Spurs refused to panic. Finally, the double act of Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange, perhaps the biggest wasters of time in our recent history, acted.
Christian Parker is giving Cowboys' defense a makeover. What will that mean for the NFL Draft?
"You can't go wrong taking big, long, athletic guys," one Dallas evaluator said. "That's what we want to get back to."
‘Big AI’s #1 target’: Candidate for Congress speaks out about battling AI CEOs
White Sox Minor League Update: April 21, 2026
Big swings across the system as affiliates go 3-1
Early 2026 fantasy expert consensus rankings: Giants busts
Heading into the 2026 season, here are the biggest Giants busts based on early fantasy expert consensus rankings
Public News Service Story: Michigan group pushes to get big money out of politics
This story was originally published by Public News Service. By Chrystal Blair, producer Public News Service April 21, 2026 A new push to limit corporate money in Michigan politics appears to be gaining traction. There is strong bipartisan support for restricting political contributions from regulated monopolies and companies seeking government contracts, according to a survey commissioned by
Rumor: Street Fighter 6 Year 4 DLC characters leak, includes big crossover
A leaker with a reliable track record has allegedly leaked DLC characters for Street Fighter 6 Year 4, which includes a big crossover.
Is Netflix Making a Big Real Estate Move In L.A.?
The streaming giant is reportedly in talks to acquired the Radford Studio Center.
Google Wallet just got a big upgrade ahead of the busy travel season
It makes flying less of a hassle
Transfer Update: Kyle Evans Joins the Wolfpack
Coach Gainey adds a big man
Stockton sports roundup features best teams, athletes hitting stride
The best are hitting their stride. Top teams and athletes delivered big performances in San Joaquin County spring sports from April 6-11.
World's biggest airlines cancel flights due to rising fuel prices
Jet fuel prices have spiked and supplies have dwindled as the US and Israeli war on Iran drags on, forcing some airlines to cancel flights.
Rumor: Street Fighter 6 Season 4 DLC character roster potentially leaks online including big Final Fantasy crossover
Street Fighter 6 is getting ready to close out its third season of DLC content with Ingrid on the way in the near future, but we may now already know who is coming after her.A potential leak of Street ...
Democrats win Virginia redistricting fight, threating Republican House majority
Virginia voters passed a redistricting referendum that could boost Democrats with four additional House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Framework Laptop 13 Pro is the first major revision to the original Framework Laptop
Laptop includes Core Ultra Series 3 CPUs, a bigger battery, and a touchscreen.
Alan Osmond, the eldest member of the Osmonds, has died at 76
He helped write some of the Osmond Brothers' biggest hits, including "One Bad Apple," "Crazy Horses" and "Are You Up There?"
Big Names, Even Bigger Memories: Eastern Idaho State Fair Unveils 2026 Entertainment Lineup
The wait is officially over. The Eastern Idaho State Fair is pulling back the curtain today on its highly anticipated 2026 entertainment lineup, promising a slate of performances that aim to outdo years past. "Get ready for big names, great entertainment, and even bigger fair memories," the fair committee shared in an enthusiastic announcement on Facebook.
Chipolo’s Android Find Hub trackers actually have 1-year battery life, new wallet launches
Chipolo has a big update on its Find Hub trackers for Android, with the battery life rating having just doubled...
Delaware announces more star power for 2026 concert season
Delaware keeps stacking the concert deck for 2026 shows, announcing more big stars. Here are the new concerts that are coming and how to get tickets.
Biggest draft bust for every NFL team: The picks franchises still regret
From can't-miss prospects to cautionary tales, a team-by-team look at the draft decisions that aged the worst
Vampire Crawlers sees Poncle strike gold again with latest Xbox Game Pass hit
Vampire Crawlers launches into Game Pass today, and after struggling to put down the pixelated dungeon crawler, I'm happy to say it's an big win for Poncle.
Big Sky Democrats Battle Over ‘Poison’ Brand
Montana Democrats thought they found a novel way to win control of the U.S. Senate—until the party faithful started fighting back.
Top sportscaster Joe Buck finalizing deal to host ‘ESPN Jeopardy!’
“Monday Night Football” play-by-play man Joe Buck has done everything there is to do in sports, or so it seems. The almost 57-year-old — his birthday is Saturday, April 25 — has provided coverage of six Super Bowls, 24 World…
Shaky political science: using "simulated" elections over real-world elections
[Dear DSOS readers – this article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in early December, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting. We found that many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data, and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first three articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report, the second one analyzing a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report, and a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research]. In this fourth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we shine a spotlight on seven studies that were web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group (the ERRG is an ad hoc committee headed by New America’s Political Reform Program and joined by the American Enterprise Institute, the Unite America Institute and Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law). This research consortium has been led by Lee Drutman, senior fellow with New America’s Political Reform Program. These seven studies are simply not credible from any objective standard about how political “science” is supposed to illuminate our understanding of either ranked choice voting or politics in general. The feature that six of these seven studies have in common is that they all used surveys – artificial, simulated elections -- to attempt to say something cogent or interesting about ranked choice voting (RCV) elections. None of them used real world data from actual RCV elections – either the 1000+ elections in the US or the many thousands of elections from places like Australia, Ireland and elsewhere where RCV has been used for 100 years. While a few of these studies conclude with some mixed positives about RCV, our analysis here is content neutral. The idea that, with a political reform like RCV, you can ask respondents in a mock, artificial election to vote with that method, with only the barest of explanation about how RCV works or its likely impacts (i.e. no spoiler candidates, majority winners, voters liberated to pick their favorite candidates, coalition-building), and then ask them their thoughts/reactions about voting in that system, with fake candidates and no real campaigning, no real exposure to an actual election or actual candidates, rests on some very puzzling assumptions. The findings of these seven studies actually are contradicted by the findings from many other studies based on real-world RCV elections. These New America studies also failed to list the real-world RCV studies in their own citations, instead including those studies that reinforced their conclusions. The seven studies featured in this article were chosen because they form a cohesive cohort which precisely illustrates one of the main points of our research paper, namely that using surveys, i.e. artificial elections, or mathematical/theoretical models, instead of real-world data, is in fact “shaky political science.” Below are summaries of our analysis of five of the seven New America studies. You can read our complete analysis of all seven studies at our paper, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting.” Choosing to “Vote As Usual” by Andre Blais, Carolina Plescia, and Semra Sevi. New America. (Blais et al., 2021). This study, web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group, used two surveys in which respondents completed ballots for simulated elections using plurality, approval, RCV and point (Score) voting. In both cases the authors provided the respondents with only minimal explanation of each method. For example, the entire explanation for RCV was “For this vote, rank the candidates from your first to your last choice (you do not need to rank them all). This is called the ranked vote.” That’s it. The study did not provide any context or explanation to survey respondents about why she/he might want to rank multiple candidates. Participants were not even told that ballots would be tabulated using an “instant” runoff, not to mention any description of RCVs ability to eliminate the spoiler effect or liberate voters to rank their favorite candidates without fear of helping the “greater evil” candidate to win. That’s like taking an iPhone back in time to 1970 and asking someone if they like it better than their rotary phone without explaining how it works. Their first survey targeted states that held 2020 Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and used the real candidates’ names in the survey; the second survey used fictitious candidates. In other words, they surveyed respondents who had only ever participated in plurality elections, had no history or background with using RCV or any of the other methods, had no clue about its likely impacts, and did not communicate how the alternative methods would be counted, and then asked them: “How satisfied are you with using each system?” Predictably, the winner was plurality elections, the system used for president, Congress, gubernatorial and state legislative elections – in other words, the method they have been using, year after year, all their voting lives. With so little explanation of RCV and its impacts, this study is simply not credible in discovering anything useful about real-world RCV elections. It merely shows that a basic voter education campaign is needed when adopting a new election system. Additionally, the result contradicts many other post-election surveys following real RCV elections, asking opinions from voters who had just participated in a RCV election, that showed a great deal of satisfaction with RCV (see details on that in Studies 22-25 in our paper, as well as the four studies cited in the review for Study 28). Share Other studies on “satisfaction” and “understanding” make similar mistakes, in terms of basing their surveys on inadequate explanation to respondents and lack of education about context. How could any survey ever hope to measure accurately, in essence simulate a real-world election, without actual campaigning candidates, the media writing about those candidates, organizations endorsing candidates and voters being inundated with crucial information? More than anything, what these “studies” based on surveys show is that if you ask voters about something they don’t know very much about, and fail to adequately educate them, their responses will unsurprisingly reflect their confusion. Equally puzzling is that New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group, headed by political scientist Lee Drutman, found this to be a credible enough study that they not only published it but highlighted it in Drutman’s own discussion of research related to ranked choice voting. This pattern was repeated in study after study featured by New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group. For example in Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Expression: Voter Guides Narrow the Gap between Informed and Uninformed Citizens by Cheryl Boudreau, Jonathan Colner, and Scott MacKenzie, the researchers based their analysis on a survey which found that respondents who were asked to vote in a simulated RCV election, with minimal explanation of RCV or how it works, displayed less evidence of being informed about how to use RCV effectively, with the least informed voters ranking fewer candidates. As pointed out under the study above, in a real election voters are informed by a wide variety of methods, including public education by the election administration, by interested political groups, the media, and the candidates themselves who benefit from voters being aware of how to vote in the new system. In Support for Ranked-Choice Voting across Race and Partisanship by Joseph Anthony, David C. Kimball, Jack Santucci and Jamil Scott, the researchers used respondents from different parties and races voting in simulated plurality and RCV elections, who indicated their satisfaction with each voting method. Instead of using real world election results, the authors fell back on the easy, armchair and less reliable academic research methodology of making up mock elections. As with the other studies, little explanation was given of how RCV works or what its implications might be (electing majority winners or eliminating spoilers, for example). Unsurprisingly, this study found that respondents were not very satisfied with RCV. However, when the authors added an explanation that RCV has a tendency to elect more women and people of color, they found that this greater explanation increased the preference for RCV. The more voters were familiar with it, and the more they understood potential positive impacts – surprise! -- the more they were open to switching away from the status quo. Of note, the results from this study are thoroughly contradicted by a number of other studies whose data was obtained from real RCV elections with real voters. Those studies show a great deal of satisfaction with RCV. More “fake election” research An interesting wrinkle on this “research by fake elections” approach, which only served to illustrate how unreliable such “research” can become, was taken in Ranked-Choice Voting, Runoff, and Democracy: Insights from Maine and Other U.S. States by Joseph Cerrone and Cynthia McClintock_,_ also web-hosted and funded by New America’s ERRG. It gets high marks for creativity, but an eye-roll for thinking this could possibly add anything meaningful to our understanding of real world RCV elections. This study tried to determine whether RCV, plurality or two-round runoff elections provided greater voter satisfaction and acceptance of election results. To determine that, the authors conducted a survey asking if voters were satisfied with a fictional newspaper report of an election, with three different versions given to respondents – plurality, runoff and RCV, with variations of Republican/Democrat winners and variations of “come-from-behind” winners,” i.e. candidates not initially in first place but who win the “runoff.” Again, a minimal explanation of RCV or how it works was given, and the survey showed that respondents had the greatest unfamiliarity with RCV than the other methods. The unsurprising result? Respondents were much more satisfied with “come-from-behind” victories in a traditional two-round runoff election than in RCV, even though RCV is also a runoff system but with a single round of counting. Interestingly, the dissatisfaction with RCV disappeared for those who were more familiar with RCV. In fact, among those respondents who were “very familiar” with RCV, they were equally satisfied with RCV, runoff and plurality. Surprise, surprise. Again, what this study revealed, more than anything, is not only the inadequacy of the explanation for RCV given by the authors of this study, but the failure of the research format itself, thinking that such an artificial mock election could somehow simulate what actually happens in the real world in a real RCV election. Those four studies reviewed above are fitting examples of inadequate and shaky political “science.” Other studies reviewed in our paper from the New America/Electoral Reform Research Group cohort which also used mock elections included: Ranked-Choice Voting is an Acquired Taste by Joseph Anthony and David C. Kimball. New America. (Anthony et al., 2021). Ranked-Choice Voting is No Refuge for Extreme Candidates by Melissa Baker. New America. (Baker, 2021). Also included in this New America cohort is Does Ranked-Choice Voting Reduce Racial Polarization? by Yuki Atsusaka and Theodore Landsman, which actually did use real-world election results data but applied an odd and unconventional methodology to the data which relied on shaky assumptions and non-real-world scenarios that were too divorced from reality. To determine levels of “racially polarized voting,” the researchers imagined “ethnic parties,” by which they mean political parties for each ethnic group, which was especially odd since the election data they were using came from nonpartisan RCV races. But then they made an even odder assumption, namely that since race and ethnic characteristics of studied voters were not available, the authors tried to infer that information based on who voters selected and the racial make-up of voters in each district. This amounted to little more than vague and ambiguous guesswork dressed up with a bunch of mathematical equations used to give it a veneer of scientific appearance. Indeed, it seemed to assume racial polarization in order to prove racial polarization. Based on this questionable methodology, the authors concluded that RCV doesn’t reduce racial polarization. But the premise of this study missed an obvious reality: since RCV incentivizes more candidates to run and can result in more diverse fields of candidates, one would expect more racially-polarized voting in voters’ top rankings, not less, because more voters would have someone on that ballot who represents their racial or ethnic identity and more freedom to vote for their real first choice. By encouraging more diverse candidates and eliminating the spoiler effect, RCV facilitates voting for a favorite candidate of your own race and then selecting a second choice with the best likelihood of winning. The real measure is what voters do with their additional rankings – do they consider other candidates and vote “for the best of the rest”? This study didn’t tell us anything useful about that. But readily available data shows this is common in real RCV elections, and candidates act on this knowledge by engaging with voters outside their racial group. So the authors of this study failed to consider or account for what actually happens in real-world elections, and their conclusions are tainted by this failure. New America has contributed a great deal over the past 2.5 decades to our understanding of many policy areas, including politics and political reform (full disclosure: Steven Hill, one of the authors of this article and of the “Shaky Political Science” research paper and series, is a former senior fellow and former director of New America’s political reform program, 2005-2010). So it was especially disappointing that New America funded and published such a large batch of dubious studies about ranked choice voting. The stated praiseworthy goal of its Electoral Reform Research Group was to inspire new academic research about ranked choice voting that would shed light and help the public better understand the impacts of RCV. Instead, the ERRG research did just the opposite. It produced dubious research that created more confusion and misinformation. In so doing, New America’s political reform program contributed to “shaky political science.” Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS, a reader-supported digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe
Early 2026 fantasy expert consensus rankings: Dallas Cowboys busts
Heading into the 2026 season, here are the biggest Cowboys busts based on early fantasy expert consensus rankings
Renner's final NFL Draft big board: Ranking 250 prospects in a wild 2026 class
Tape grades, positional value, age and intangibles shaped Mike Renner's final rankings in a uniquely volatile class
Tennis dominates as Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka win at Laureus World Sports Awards
It was a big night for tennis as both Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka won individual awards at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid.
AT&T Kicks Off Earnings Reports For Telecom Stocks. Why It's Not Business As Usual.
When AT&T kicks off earnings reports for telecom stocks on Wednesday, it'll mark the start of big changes in how the companies report financial results.
Behind the science: Why it pays to fight a virus on the home turf
The emergence of a nasty new virus or even an unexpected flu strain can pose a big public-health headache. Meanwhile, antiviral drug development moves at an agonizingly slow pace and cringingly high cost. But there’s a way around that.
Five tips for managing small business employee recruitment and hiring
Commentary: Small businesses are feeling the squeeze, as big corporations often have deeper pockets and endless resources to attract top talent. But competing isn't about money, it's about strategy.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger Stressed Pragmatism, But Politics Hound Her
Gov. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia has emphasized practical governance as her brand, but the political fight over redistricting has dominated her term so far.
A Governor Who Stressed Pragmatism Is Hounded by Politics
Gov. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia has emphasized practical governance as her brand, but the political fight over redistricting has dominated her term so far.
Yankees news: Baseball’s biggest rivalry is back
Yankees and Red Sox open three-game set; Judge as a leadoff option?; Grichuk hopes to stick around
AI Isn’t The Threat
Americans are using AI even as they distrust it. For public health leaders, the bigger risk isn’t the technology—it’s failing to engage with it and shape how it’s used.
My final seven-round mock draft for the Denver Broncos
It’s finally draft week and I’ll be wrapping up my pre-draft coverage with several big boards based around research on George Paton and Sean Payton and their draft tendencies over the next two days. However, for today, I’ll use that research to lay down my final seven-round mock draft for the Denver Broncos. To be […]
Michigan State baseball earns B1G series win over Washington
Michigan State earned a massive Big Ten series win over Washington this past weekend.
Amanda Anisimova turns heads at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards
Amanda Anisimova was nominated for World Comeback Player of the Year at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards. Though Rory McIlroy won the award, Anisimova earned rave reviews for her glamorous look. MORE: Carlos Alcaraz wins Laureus World Sports Award…
Nicola Coughlan & Lydia West On <i>Big Mood</i>, Friendship Breakups & Faling For Wellness Scams
Big Mood creator Camilla Whitehall and stars Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West about Season 2, friendship breakups, healing, and the wellness scams we all fall for.
Vermont businesses seek thousands in tariff refunds as federal system launches
“I think it could be huge,” said a representative of one Vermont customs broker. “I’m sure it's going to be a big windfall for a lot of companies in Vermont and elsewhere.”
3 warning signs for Republicans in our new poll: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Republicans weigh how big to go on their next party-line funding bill.
Free small business financing, support workshop scheduled in Kailua-Kona
It is a valuable opportunity to learn about funding pathways and connect directly with experts who can support the next steps of small businesses; only several spaces remain, so don’t wait, register today.
How MLS is changing to compete with world football’s elite
Major League Soccer is preparing for one of the most ambitious transformations in its recent history. The goal is to position the league as a global benchmark capable of competing with Europe’s bigg...