Name: Shawn Donahue
Section: State and Local Politics
Professional Email: sdonahu1@binghamton.edu
Professional Status: Graduate Student
Institution: Binghamton University (SUNY)
Scheduling Preference: No Preference
Proposal Type: Paper
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Paper Title:  Alabama’s Attempt at BMV Closures after Implementing Strict Photo ID
Abstract:
This paper focuses on the post-Shelby County practices comes in Alabama. This revolves around two things that happened in close proximity: implementation of Alabama’s photo identification law following it being lifted from Section 5 preclearance, and a state budget crisis that could have potentially closed about half of the state’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles sites. The two are related because the BMV is the primary places that voters would go to obtain the necessary photo identification under this new law. Most of these closures were in rural Alabama, including many in the part of the state known as the “Black Belt” because of its high concentration of African-Americans going back to the days of slavery. Of the 18 “Black Belt” counties, 67% would see a BMV closure, versus only about 34 percent outside this region. After a public outcry, Gov. Bentley relented slightly, so that each of the offices would be open at least one day per month. However, most of these offices are open fewer hours than before. The models for testing whether these changes were going to have a discriminatory effect on African-American voters will be logistic regressions weighted by county population, with the dependent variable being whether the county would be left with no BMV office. The primary independent variable is the proportion of the county which is African-American. Results in all the models show a discriminatory effect and intent by state officials against African-Americans.

Name: Michael Motta
Section: State and Local Politics
Professional Email: mottam@farmingdale.edu
Professional Status: Assistant Professor
Institution: Farmingdale State College
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Paper Title:  Diagonal Diffusion Dynamics: Early Adoption of US Offshore Wind and Medicinal Marijuana Policies
Abstract:
In many policy areas, US states have policy making authority more analogous to foreign national governments than to foreign subnational governments. For this reason, US state policy makers draw “diagonal” policy lessons from foreign national governments, particularly when there are few or no other US states to draw “horizontal” lessons from. Using interviews with key policy actors, document analysis, and secondary data, this study traces and compares policy diffusion processes in two contexts: early adoption of first-in-the-nation offshore wind policies and medicinal marijuana laws. Cross-case analysis confirms the findings of other studies: non-morality policies (e.g., offshore wind) inspire deeper, more substantive policy learning and are less prone to rapid diffusion than morality policies (e.g., medicinal marijuana.) Although these cases are unique, this exploratory research finds commonalities that offer implications for future work: In both cases, diagonal learning was prevalent when it was the only option available, and curtailed when there were other states to learn from. Also present in each policy subsystem were strong national advocacy coalitions that feared widespread diffusion and acted to stymie early adoption. In addition, the cases demonstrate how the unique context of US governance prevents emulation of policies from non-US governments.

Name: Lisa Parshall
Section: State and Local Politics
Professional Email: lparshal@daemen.edu
Professional Status: Associate Professor
Institution: Daemen College
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Paper Title: Applying the Narrative Policy Framework to New York’s Village Dissolution Debate
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This paper will look at the durability and function of the village form of government in New York State.

Name: Eric Radezky
Section: State and Local Politics
Professional Email: eric3381@yahoo.com
Professional Status: Practitioner
Institution: New York State Assembly
Scheduling Preference: Saturday Afternoon
Proposal Type: Paper
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Paper Title:  The Limits of Generational Turnover and Policy Change in the New York State Assembly
Abstract:
Using personal interviews with sitting New York State Assembly Members in 2010 and follow up interviews with the same members in 2016, I trace the evolution of two policies in New York State. The first is the legalization of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting. In 2010, the legalization of this sport could not possibly pass in New York's lower house, but in 2016 it was passed and signed into law. The dramatic about face was the result of issue evolution and significant turnover in the Assembly, specifically in the Assembly majority and especially because of changes in the Assembly's leadership. The second issue is a proposal to institute congestion pricing in New York City. This proposal has been floated many times over the past thirty-plus years, and although it would only impact New York City it nonetheless requires authorization from the state legislature. Although there are many similarities between the passage of MMA and the latest round of congestion pricing discussions, there are significant differences that will likely prevent the passage of congestion pricing in the near future. Whereas MMA fighting was poised to pass into state law contingent on clearing the final hurdle in the Assembly, congestion pricing faces other obstacles, not the least of which is opposition from New York City's mayor. Additionally, MMA was a non-salient issue that appears to have led very few constituents to contact their Assembly Members. That anonymity allowed members to decide on the bill without worrying about constituent backlash. By contrast, congestion pricing is historically an issue that draws a great deal of constituent feedback. In 2008, during the previous round of congestion pricing debates, Assembly Members participating in this study tended to indicate a great deal of constituent contact. Although this phenomenon was limited to members representing New York City Assembly districts, it should be noted that about half of all of New York State Assembly districts are in New York City. In some cases, individual members saw their district evenly divided on the subject, leaving those members in a particularly precarious position when contemplating which side to choose. Analysis of these two issues shows that although turnover in a legislative chamber will sometimes produce previously unattainable policy outcomes, turnover alone is insufficient to lead to change. Intervening factors such as issue saliency and opposition from other political elites must also be taken into account.

Name: John Sutcliffe
Section: State and Local Politics
Professional Email: sutclif@uwindsor.ca
Professional Status: Associate Professor
Institution: University of Windsor
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Co-author info: Sarah Cipkar, University of Windsor, scipkar@gmail.com
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Paper Title:  How Public is Public Transport? The Role of the Private Sector in Public Transportation in Detroit
Abstract:
This paper examines the public transportation system in Detroit and its surrounding suburbs. Public transportation is particularly important to disadvantaged groups within the city who often have limited mobility and depend on this form of transit for access to work, education and social facilities within the context of a geographically dispersed city. This raises the issue of transit equity. Transit equity, or specifically the lack of equity, is a key issue in Detroit as it is in other American cities. The groups that depend most heavily on public transit are also the groups least likely to secure adequate transit service that provides fast and reliable movement around the region, particularly from the city to the surrounding municipalities. The paper pays particular attention to the recent role of private investment in the transportation sector. The central focus is the recently opened streetcar – the QLine – which runs for approximately five kilometers along Woodward Avenue in Detroit. The paper examines the development of this project and the role of citizen engagement in the proposal alongside the pivotal role played by private business interests. The paper addresses the question of whether these investments affect equitable transportation outcomes in Detroit. It concludes that the private investment has played a central role in the revitalization of central Detroit but does little to ameliorate transit inequities.

Name: Gregory Young
Section: State and Local Politics
Professional Email: gdyoung3@gmail.com
Professional Status: Adjunct Professor
Institution: State University of New York at Cobleskill
Scheduling Preference: Saturday Afternoon
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Paper Title:  What’s In a Name: Candidate Motivations and Outcomes for Independent Party Candidates in New York State Local Elections
Abstract:
Among the unique elements of NYS Election Law is the opportunity for a candidate to run under a party name of his or her own choosing. Despite this provision, officially recognized third parties, and the existence of electoral fusion, the majority of candidates continue to run on either the Democratic or Republican lines. While the use of independent party lines on state gubernatorial elections has received popular and academic attention in recent years as a result of new parties being formed (e.g. Stop Common Core/Reform and Women’s Equality) and high-profile candidates (e.g. Jimmy McMillan of the Rent is Too Damn High Party), their use in local election has received far less attention. Using a handful of rural upstate counties as case studies, this paper will examine the motivations and strategies behind candidates who run on independent lines as well as the role of these independent party nominations in electoral outcomes.