About

Nicholas Kerr is an assistant professor of comparative politics at the University of Florida who studies African politics with a focus on comparative political institutions, democratization, electoral integrity, gender and politics, and public opinion. His research examines how multiparty elections in electoral democracies and competitive autocracies shape popular evaluations of political legitimacy. Kerr explores the design and performance of electoral management bodies (EMBs) in Africa, and the relationship between citizens’ campaign and electoral behavior and popular evaluations of political legitimacy. Specifically, his work focuses on how direct experiences with election management, election manipulation, third-party actors, and election outcomes influence citizens’ evaluations of election integrity and the performance of state and regime institutions. Kerr holds a PhD in political science from Michigan State University.