Photo of Peter Miller at the Embassy of Finland in D.C.
Fulbright Finland News Magazine

Ensuring Everyone Has a Voice in U.S. Democracy

29 October 2024 • Text: Louisa Gairn, Photos: Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C.
U.S. elections expert Peter Miller reflects on his journey from graduate researcher cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, to an unexpectedly public role as a Fulbright scholar in Tampere, Finland, to his current role at the Brennan Center for Justice, working to ensure fair elections.

With the 2024 U.S. elections just around the corner, it seems an appropriate time to talk with an expert on the subject: Peter Miller, who is a Senior Research Fellow at The Brennan Center for Justice in New York City, and a Fulbright Finland alumnus.

Born and raised in Montana, and with a doctoral degree from the University of California, Irvine, Peter카지노 웹사이트s trajectory into the world of election law and redistricting took a crucial - and, he says, surprising turn with the publication of his graduate dissertation, written as various states, including California, were establishing independent redistricting commissions. The dissertation made an impact well beyond his expectations, cited in a high-profile Supreme Court case over Arizona카지노 웹사이트s Independent Redistricting Commission.

"It was luck more than anything," Peter smiles. 카지노 웹사이트I went from being an unknown graduate student to being cited by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I would not have believed any of this could happen. The Supreme Court citation came out of nowhere. The Fulbright was a delightful surprise. And then if you had told me I was going to land in New York City, I wouldn카지노 웹사이트t have believed you at any point. I grew up in the West, and never imagined I would be living in the biggest city in the U.S.카지노 웹사이트

This unexpected recognition paved the way for the next steps in Peter카지노 웹사이트s career, firstly securing a Fulbright Scholarship to Finland카지노 웹사이트s Tampere University in 2016-17 and, on his return to the United States, joining the Brennan Center for Justice as a Senior Research Fellow in 2018, focusing on  U.S. and comparative politics, voting behavior, political institutions, and public opinion.

From Scholar to Public Commentator in Finland

What attracted Peter to Finland? He explains that his research project at Tampere University focused on comparing early voting trends in the United States and Finland, two countries with high levels of early voting but with political and electoral systems that are 카지노 웹사이트dramatically different in every other regard,카지노 웹사이트 Peter explains. 카지노 웹사이트I wanted to see if there are common motivators for when people decide to cast their ballot before the end of a campaign.카지노 웹사이트

But Peter카지노 웹사이트s scholarship year in Finland held another twist of fate in store: the polls-defying outcome of the 2016 U.S. elections.

카지노 웹사이트Here too, luck intervened,카지노 웹사이트 he recalls. 카지노 웹사이트Everything was going very well. I was well on my way, I was based at Tampere University, and the Finnish Social Science Survey Archive is there. I had a bunch of election surveys that I was looking through... and then the election happened, and suddenly the entire nation of Finland was concerned how the polls got the election wrong. What does this foretell for U.S. and Finland relations, or the United States카지노 웹사이트 role in the world?카지노 웹사이트

카지노 웹사이트And so suddenly I became the guy that everyone wanted to talk to about American politics,카지노 웹사이트 he smiles.

Fulbright-University of Tampere Scholar Peter Miller talking to a full lecture hall at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
카지노 웹사이트At one point, I was told 1 500 people had attended my lectures throughout the year,카지노 웹사이트 Peter says. In the photo, Peter is talking to students of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in the fall 2016. Photo: 카지노사이트

While he settled into Finnish academic life, Peter found himself increasingly in demand as a commentator on the U.S. elections and political system, interviewed by Finnish journalists, described in the Finnish media as an 카지노 웹사이트election observer카지노 웹사이트, and called on to give public talks.

카지노 웹사이트At one point, I was told 1 500 people had attended my lectures throughout the year,카지노 웹사이트 he says. His outreach work also gained the attention of the U.S. Embassy, who congratulated him on his work in helping Finns understand the complexities of the U.S. electoral system.

카지노 웹사이트Finland left a pretty indelible mark on my career trajectory, not just maturing as a scholar, but becoming someone who articulates ideas in public. I wasn카지노 웹사이트t just someone that sits in a library and produces articles. That turned out to be a delightful aspect of the Fulbright I hadn카지노 웹사이트t anticipated, but it카지노 웹사이트s a far more enduring one, I think.카지노 웹사이트

Transforming Research into Action at the Brennan Center

On his return to the U.S., Peter joined the Brennan Center for Justice in 2018. The Center, based at NYU School of Law, is renowned for its work in law and policy, specifically around issues of democracy and justice. Here, Peter카지노 웹사이트s expertise in redistricting and data analysis has been instrumental in addressing contentious issues such as partisan gerrymandering and redistricting. 

카지노 웹사이트It카지노 웹사이트s mostly lawyers at the Center, but I카지노 웹사이트m one of eleven social scientists on staff, and my role is to conduct all the quantitative analysis related to redistricting across the United States,카지노 웹사이트 he explains.

A recent example of his work is the Brennan Center카지노 웹사이트s involvement in litigation over redistricting in Ohio. The team successfully argued before the Ohio Supreme Court that legislative maps were unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Peter played a crucial role in this process, by analyzing the data and offering insights into the impact of these maps on fair representation. 

카지노 웹사이트A lot of my work there involved assessing the maps, working with expert witnesses, talking to lawyers about social science concepts and trying to assist them with the arguments they were making before the Court,카지노 웹사이트 he explains.

This analytical work, he says, is among his favorite aspects of the job. 카지노 웹사이트Using social science to advocate for a better and more equitable American democracy is something I find incredibly rewarding.카지노 웹사이트

A Nonpartisan Fight for Fair Voting

The Center is strictly nonpartisan, he explains, actively monitoring efforts to limit voter participation and seeking to counter policies that could undermine the accessibility of voting.

카지노 웹사이트One of the things we do is examine voter roll purges and see if there's a pattern of discrimination or bias,카지노 웹사이트 Peter explains. 카지노 웹사이트So, if a state decides to remove 100 000 people from the voter rolls, we try and get hold of the data and see who카지노 웹사이트s actually being removed.카지노 웹사이트 He adds that this analysis can reveal disparities that disproportionately affect marginalized groups, and when necessary, the Brennan Center files lawsuits to challenge unfair practices.

Peter카지노 웹사이트s background in social science brings a different, complementary perspective to the Center카지노 웹사이트s legal strategies. His work often involves exploring the impacts of polling place locations, early voting policies, and voter ID laws, using data to support the Center카지노 웹사이트s advocacy efforts. 

카지노 웹사이트Our role is to ensure that voting is fair, equitable, and accessible to everyone, regardless of the political outcome,카지노 웹사이트 he emphasizes.

Comparing Voting and Elections in the U.S. and Finland

Peter credits his experiences as a Fulbright Scholar with providing him the opportunity to see his work from an international perspective, enriching his understanding of how electoral systems differ around the world - and specifically contrasting approaches in the United States with Europe.

카지노 웹사이트In Finland, and more broadly in Europe, voting is seen as a civic duty provided by the state, whereas in the U.S., it카지노 웹사이트s often viewed as a right individuals have to assert카지노 웹사이트 It just seems like there is a much more political approach to these voting questions in the U.S. that are largely absent in European countries,카지노 웹사이트 he notes. 

카지노 웹사이트I think it goes back to the nature of two-party contestation in the United States. Only one party can win an election, so I worry that one party or the other has from time to time said, well if we adopt policy X, we will lose votes, and therefore they카지노 웹사이트re opposed to the policy. The policy might be a good idea, but the lens it카지노 웹사이트s considered through is 카지노 웹사이트do we get an advantage?카지노 웹사이트. I think that카지노 웹사이트s not as present in European systems to the same degree.카지노 웹사이트

카지노 웹사이트Redistricting is the most technical aspect of voting, and yet is often resolved by the courts, but this doesn카지노 웹사이트t occur in European countries. In Finland, for example, the parliamentary districts are based on provincial lines, and these don카지노 웹사이트t change very often. They also elect multiple members of parliament in each district. Because the U.S. elects a single person from one district, I think that provides an incentive to try and manipulate the district drawing process,카지노 웹사이트 he adds.

Petri Koikkalainen, Counselor for Education and Science, Ambassador of Finland to the U.S. Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, and Peter Miller
Petri Koikkalainen, Counselor for Education and Science, Ambassador of Finland to the U.S. Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, and Peter Miller during his visit to the Embassy of Finland in Washinton, D.C. in October 2024. Photo: Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C.

Fulbright Turns Countries into People

The Fulbright program카지노 웹사이트s emphasis on cultural exchange aligns closely with his own philosophy of democratic participation, he explains. 카지노 웹사이트Fulbright카지노 웹사이트s initial vision was to turn countries into people,카지노 웹사이트 he says. 카지노 웹사이트It카지노 웹사이트s really an unparalleled opportunity that Fulbright provides, and speaks to the wisdom of the need for international and intercultural understanding.카지노 웹사이트

카지노 웹사이트You have this vague concept of another country, as you study it from your office, but actually going there and living amongst the people, talking to Finns, reading the news, discussing the newspaper with colleagues.카지노 웹사이트 Peter recalls various experiences - cross-country skiing in Lapland, celebrating Finnish traditions such as Vappu, trying out the Finnish sauna.

카지노 웹사이트It카지노 웹사이트s those sorts of happenstance opportunities, but also just the ability to really devote yourself to living in a country for a while, getting to know the people there, through a really deep and focused residence in the country. I think it카지노 웹사이트s wildly successful - it absolutely changed my life카지노 웹사이트.

Peter says that the friendships and collaborations he has built through the program continue to influence his work, even as he tackles some of the most pressing issues in American democracy today. He has been back to Finland, as the external examiner, or 카지노 웹사이트opponent카지노 웹사이트 on a doctoral dissertation defense, and research collaboration continues with former colleagues from Tampere.

카지노 웹사이트One of the head-scratching elements of the Fulbright was the realization that Finland previously had an Electoral College but eliminated it in the early twentieth century,카지노 웹사이트 he says, noting he is now working with one of his former students on a project to analyze this decision and the parliamentary debate that preceded the vote.

Peter also remains connected to the wider Fulbright community, through regular events organized by the 카지노사이트 in the United States. 카지노 웹사이트It카지노 웹사이트s exciting to think, this was a great opportunity, so what can I do to make sure that the future also has that opportunity?카지노 웹사이트 

Ensuring Everyone Has a Voice

In the lead-up to the current U.S. elections, due to take place Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Peter and his colleagues at the Brennan Center remain focused on ensuring fair voting practices across the country. 

카지노 웹사이트I see our work as a constant battle to safeguard democracy,카지노 웹사이트 he says. 

카지노 웹사이트We are fighting to ensure that everyone has a voice, and that those voices are heard in a fair and equitable system."