Michael currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs at Washington State University. Previously, he served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of Political Science at the University of Iowa. He received his doctorate and master's degrees in Political Science from the University of Iowa, and received bachelors’ degrees in Political Science and English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
His research and teaching interests include American and comparative politics, political behavior, public policy, state and local politics, campaigns, elections, public opinion, inequality, political parties, state legislatures, and Congress. He also has research and teaching interests in quantitative methods, research design, and social science data analytics. His recently published book, Accessible Elections: How the States Can Help Americans Vote (Oxford University Press), examines how states with convenience voting laws and more accessible election administrations can improve general turnout as well as turnout among the poor and racial minorities. His research has also appeared in the Election Law Journal, Social Science Quarterly and the Sociological Compass. He is currently working on a follow-up book to Accessible Elections that examines the impact of election reform provisions in the 2018 and 2020 elections. Other current research projects include measuring the impact of automatic voter registration in Oregon, the effect of online voter registration, and how mail and absentee voting as well as their administration shape voter turnout.
He is also the recipient of the Instructor of the Year award in the School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Policy at Washington State University, and has also been recognized as one of the top online instructors at Washington State University.
Beyond his academic life, he enjoys spending time with his family, distance running, playing basketball, and reading history and literature books.