Bernard Debabrata Tamas

Professor of Political Science, Valdosta State University

Areas of Expertise:

Connect with Bernard

About Bernard

Tamas's research focuses on elections, electoral systems, and third parties. Overarching themes in Tamas's writings include the role of US third parties and how they are currently in a stronger position to influence American politics than most commentators realize; and how the SMP electoral system and winner-take-all elections produce a range of threats to American democracy, including potentially increasing the damage caused by voter suppression measures. Tamas serves as an adviser to the executive board of STOP, an international human rights organization that undertakes a community-led approach for combating human trafficking in South Asia.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

Georgia Voter Suppression Efforts May Not Change Election Results Much

Commentary, May 2021

In the News

Quoted by Rebecca Davis O’Brien & Taylor Robinson in "In a Tight Presidential Race, Third-Party Candidates Present a Wild Card," The New York Times, October 14, 2024.

Guest on NPR: Where Does RFK Jr. Fit in the History of Third-Party Candidates?, May 28, 2024.

Quoted by Brittany Gibson in "‘It Will Be a Nail Biter’: A Third-Party Scholar on the 2024 Election," Politico, January 10, 2024.

Quoted by Dora Mekouar in "Is Polarized America Primed for a Breakout Third Party?," Voice of America, July 21, 2021.

Opinion: "US Third Parties Can Rein In the Extremism of the Two-Party System," Bernard Debabrata Tamas, The Conversation, June 22, 2021.

Quoted by John Murray in "The Libertarian Party, Born in Colorado 50 Years Ago, Still Seeks Elusive Mainstream Acceptance," Denver Post, June 20, 2021.

Interviewed in "Valdosta State University Professor: Voter Suppression Laws May Not Change Election Outcomes – For Now," WABE Atlanta, June 3, 2021.

Guest on You Don't Have to Yell, July 16, 2020.

Opinion: "The U.S. Has More Third-Party Candidates Than It’s Seen in a Century. Why?," Bernard Debabrata Tamas (with Matthew Dean Hindman), The Washington Post, August 31, 2016.

Publications

"The Demise and Rebirth of American Third Parties: Poised for Political Revival?" ( Routledge, 2018).

Illustrates that most explanations for third-party weakness are based on theories that are inaccurate or dated, and that instead third-party strength is closely related to how polarized the two major parties are. Continues demonstrating that contrary to popular thought, third parties have been gradually gaining strength over the past half century.

"American Disproportionality: A Historical Analysis of Partisan Bias in Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives" Election Law Journal 18, no. 1 (2019): 47-62.

States that elections to the House of Representatives have been severely biased long before the current period of extreme gerrymandering.

"Does Fusion Undermine American Third Parties? An Analysis of House Elections From 1870 to 2016" New Political Science 39, no. 4 (2017): 609-626.

Mentions that fusion (or when candidates are nominated by both a third party and major party) had never improved the prospects of third parties.

"Ballot Access Laws and the Decline of American Third-Parties" (with Matthew Dean Hindman). Election Law Journal 13, no. 2 (2014): 260-276.

Discusses that contrary to widespread belief, ballot access laws (or the state laws that determine what candidates are placed on the ballot) do not hurt the prospects of third parties.

"Can Voter Suppression Increase Electoral Bias?," MIT Election Data and Science Lab, December 18, 2020.

Demonstrates that running elections through single-member districts, like in the US, can dramatically increase the negative impact of voter suppression and other methods for underrepresenting voters.