UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1132

Submission information
Submission Number: 1132
Submission ID: 20256
Submission UUID: 46c0e6aa-d382-4a4d-ab7c-7a74a412a1e3

Created: Wed, 08/13/2025 - 03:13 PM
Completed: Wed, 08/13/2025 - 03:13 PM
Changed: Mon, 09/22/2025 - 01:04 PM

Remote IP address: 144.174.212.31
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name Yimeng Li
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) yimeng.li@fsu.edu
Position Title Post Doc
FSU College (if applicable) Social Sciences and Public Policy
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Department of Political Science and LeRoy Collins Institute
Headshot (optional)
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above)
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable)
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Title of the Project Patterns of Voter Participation in American Local Elections
Project Keywords American Politics, Local Elections, Public Policy, Statistical Analysis, Data Analytics
Are you currently looking for research assistants? No
Number of Research Assistants Needed 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) political science, economics, statistics, or related majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 5-10
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description Voter participation in American local elections has long been a concern of academics and reformers, with participation rates significantly lower than in state and federal elections. In this project, we seek to study the patterns of voter participation in American local elections. In particular, this research project focuses on three questions: (1) What are the rates of voter participation for different local offices? (2) What is the relationship between jurisdiction characteristics (such as demographic composition) and local election participation? (3) What is the relationship between ballot characteristics (such as ballot length) and voter engagement in local elections?

This research project involves processing data on election data and demographic information from different jurisdictions across the U.S., conducting statistical analysis with processed data, and generating tables and figures for result visualization.
Research Tasks This research project includes the following tasks: (1) literature review, (2) data processing, (3) statistical analysis, and (4) creating tables and figures.

(1) Literature review: Research assistants will read and summarize a few academic articles on political participation and local elections to have a better understanding of this research project.

(2) Data processing: Research assistants will learn how to use R or Python for standard data handling under the guidance of the mentor. Research assistants will then use these skills to process election data and demographic information from different jurisdictions across the U.S. into a usable format for subsequent analysis.

(3) Statistical analysis: Research assistants will calculate voter participation rates in local elections in different jurisdictions across the U.S. Research assistants will then conduct statistical analyses to determine the association between participation rates and jurisdiction characteristics. Steps involved include generating summary statistics, conducting data visualization, and running regression analyses.

(4) Creating tables and figures: In this final step, research assistants will create tables and figures to show the results from the statistical analysis. These tables and figures will be included in the poster presentation at the UROP symposium.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Proficiency with Microsoft Excel is preferred. Willingness to learn statistical software (R or Python) under the guidance of the mentor is required. Attention to detail is critical to this project.

Preferences will be given to students with a strong interest in academic research and strong academic records, as evidenced in their CVs.
Mentoring Philosophy Every mentee is different. I will identify each mentee's goals, aspirations, and existing knowledge. I will try to help mentees achieve their goals and aspirations through the mentoring process. I will accommodate the assigned work schedule that fits the mentee's other classes and activities and will not assign work during Thanksgiving or finals.

Communication is key. I will establish clear expectations with the mentee at the beginning of the mentorship. I will maintain weekly meetings to discuss progress and challenges encountered, and will promptly respond to emails throughout the mentoring process and beyond.
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable): https://yimeng-li.com/all_research/
Please add any additional information here (if applicable):
Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No
Roundtable times and Zoom links N/A
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2025
update url https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=tKjznSB5f5WA2CBfY-b_563pS4AsBUhHuwzdAUnbk9c