Corwin Smidt

Corwin D. Smidt is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. His research identifies the forces reshaping American party and electoral politics, from voting behavior and presidential nominations to the puzzle of why Americans say they want change in party politics while rarely changing who they vote for. He is an expert on elections and administration in Michigan, having researched poll worker retention, voter confidence, election reform, and voter turnout in the hopes of making Michigan's elections more transparent, accessible, and trusted across the political spectrum. His research has appeared in top journals including the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Political Analysis, and has earned awards from the American Political Science Association and Western Political Science Association. He has previously served interim terms as Chair of MSU's Department of Political Science (2019-2022) and Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR, 2025-2026).