Clint Swift
Data & Policy Specialist

My passion is in leveraging data tools to answer important questions and solve pressing problems. I specialize in advanced statistical analysis and visualization. Enthusiastic about expanding my knowledge and sharing with others.
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About Me

A proven professional with passion for discovering data-driven solutions

I am a policy strategist and data scientist for Protect Democracy, where I primarily worik on projects to ensure free and fair elections (E.g. VoteShield). I'm proud to be part of a first-in-class team of engineers, data scientists, and policy specialists working to secure America's voting infrastrucutre and ensure equal and fair access for all eligible voters.

My academic research has focused on using data to answer important questions about the functioning of our political institutions and the potential for broad-based consensus and collaboration (Academic CV). I have led data-driven research projects in the non-profit, public and private sectors and have extensive experience communicating complicated statistical methods and results to audiences with various levels of data literacy.

I am a fundamentally curious person, committed to pursuing discovery with integrity and compassion. I believe that through knowledge we can build better appreciation of each other and the world we live in. In addition to data analysis and political science, I enjoy playing and watching soccer, reading science fiction and spending time with my brilliant partner and our 2 dogs.

Education

Skills


Project Design

Expertise in all aspects of project design; from conceptualization and data collection to analysis and reporting.


Statistical Analysis

Knowledge of state-of-the-art statistical methodologies, their applications and uses.


Data Visualization

Attractive and intuitive data visualizations using the most modern tools and software (matplotlib, ggplot, plotly, Tableau, Domo).

Data-Driven Advocacy 

Extensive experience clearly and convincingly relaying advanced methods and results to audiences with various levels of data literacy.


Analytical Programming Proficiency

I have extensive experience with various statistical programming software and languages, allowing me to seamlessly integrate into existing analytical infrastructure.

Python
R
STATA
SQL
SPSS
SAS

Experience

Working Towards Greater Knowledge and Understanding through Rigorous and Objective Data Analysis
Protect Democracy (remote)
May   2021 - Present
Policy Strategist: Active on various projects with broad goals to advance state and national policy to secure and expand the voting franchise to all eligible Americans and protect elections from subversion. This frequently involves communicating with various partners and stakeholders to refine proposals and effective courses of future action. In this capacity I have also led internal efforts to senario plan potential future election crises, resuting in extensive state-by-state evaluations of legal, procedural, and political vulnerabilities that could contributer to election subversion. I have also served as support staff for the National Task force on Election Crises.
VoteShield (remote)
August  2020 - Present
Data Scientist: Actively monitored voter rolls and absentee/mail-in ballot records for potential malicious and/or unlawful changes. Used advance statistical analyses to identify and target problematic patterns. Assessed the effects of different policies on election administration and made recomendations to our legal strategists and policy advocates. Communicated results with our state partners, including election administrators, academics, and other organizations.
The University of the South (Sewanee, TN)
August 2017 - June 2020
Visiting Assistant Professor: Conducted data-driven academic research focused on state legislative institutional arrangements. Presented findings at professional conferences and published in top peer-reviewed academic journals. Directed undergraduate students in conducting original data-driven honors research. Designed and taught courses in American Politics, Public Policy, and Data Analysis.
Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy (Columbia, MO)
August 2016 - May 2017
Dissertation Fellow: Designed, conducted, and presented original research on the consequences of particular institutional arrangements on patterns of collaboration in American state legislative chambers.
University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)
August 2011 - August 2016
Teaching and Research Assistant: Conducted discussion sections and short lectures, at the direction of supervising faculty. Met with undergraduate students individually and in groups to review important course materials.
Institute for Social Research (Sacramento, CA)
March 2009 - December 2011
Graduate Ressearch Assistant: Engaged in survey instrument design and administration on a broad range of projects. Oversaw the management of the Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) lab. Wrote and revised reports, summarizing methods and findings of various projects for delivery to both public and private sector clients.

Selected Projects

Portfolio 1

AllEconomicsIsLocal

We introduce a novel estimation procedure called the spatial-X ordered logit (SLX-OL) that offers the chance to model how voters’ evaluations respond to changes in contextualized economic information. Read More

Portfolio 1

CEDA

The California Elections Data Archive (CEDA) compiles all state and local election results into one accessible source for researchers and public agencies.Read More

Portfolio 1

CommitteeMatching

I demostrate how "good" committee assignments translate into "good" legislating using an original data source and measurement strategy.Read More

Portfolio 1

SymbolicClimateBills

In the US States, liberal legislators with the fewest opportunities to signal efficacy to their constituents are the most likely to support subnational climate change policy efforts.Read More

Portfolio 1

TermLimits

Using data on bill cosponsorship from 41 states (82 chambers), we demonstrate that term limits reduce bipartisan cosponsorship even when controlling for average legislative tenure.Read More

Portfolio 1

VoteShield

VoteShield is a platform designed to protect the integrity of U.S. elections by placing a virtual security camera on voter registration databases to detect anomalous activity in voter data.Read More

Portfolio 1

ElectionAdmin

Selected work on various aspects of US election administration, including topics like absentee ballot verificaiton methods and voter roll list maintenance practices. Read More

Portfolio 1

WomenLegislating

We find that female legislators are more collaborative than men, and that this collaborative advantage is greater in chambers where women are systematically excluded from positions of influence.Read More