Jason M. Roberts
I am a Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I study how America's political institutions shape outcomes. My research centers on the U.S. Congress, congressional elections, and the practical machinery of how elections are run. I am especially interested in how rules—from the design of a ballot to the procedures of the Senate—shape who wins, who governs, and what gets done. I am the author or co-author of several books, including The Politics of Ballot Design (2020) and Ambition, Competition, and Electoral Reform (2013), and I co-edit Legislative Studies Quarterly. My current project examines how personal relationships among members foster legislative collaboration in Congress. I teach courses in American politics at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and in UNC's Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program.
Research
Books
- The Politics of Ballot Design: How States Shape American Democracy. 2020. Cambridge University Press.
- Ambition, Competition, and Electoral Reform: The Politics of Congressional Elections Across Time. 2013. University of Michigan Press.
- Why Not Parties? Party Effects in the United States Senate. 2008. University of Chicago Press.
- The American Congress. 10th edition, 2019. Rowman and Littlefield.
Refereed Articles
- “Interpersonal Relationships, Bipartisanship, and January 6th.” American Political Science Review 119 (August 2025): 1542–1548.
- “Drop Box Allocation and Use Among Georgia Voters in the 2020 Election.” Election Law Journal, November 2023.
- “Interpersonal Relationships and Legislative Collaboration in Congress.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 48 (May 2023): 333–369.
- “Careerism, Status Quo Bias, and the Politics of Congressional Apportionment.” Journal of Historical Political Economy 2 (October 2022): 391–414.
- “Nomination Struggles in the Post-Nuclear Senate.” The Forum, 2022.
- “The Electoral Consequences of Roll Call Voting: Health Care and the 2018 Election.” Political Behavior 44 (2022): 157–177.
- “Obstruction and the Politics of Civilian Nominations.” American Politics Research 48 (May 2020): 414–421.
- “The De-Institutionalization of Congress.” Political Science Quarterly 133 (Fall 2018): 475–495.
- “The Dimensionality of Congressional Voting Reconsidered.” American Politics Research 44 (September 2016): 794–815.
- “The Cost of Majority Party Bias: Amending Activity Under Structured Rules.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 41 (August 2016): 633–655.
- “Party Committee Targeting and the Evolution of Competition in U.S. House Elections.” Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties 26 (February 2016): 96–114.
- “Short Term Goals and Long Term Effects: The Mongrel Tariff and the Creation of the Special Rule in the U.S. House.” Journal of Policy History 28 (Summer 2016): 318–341.
- “The Politics of Obstruction: Republican Holds in the U.S. Senate.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 40 (May 2015): 273–294.
- “The Development of Special Orders and Special Rules in the U.S. House, 1881–1937.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 35 (August 2010): 307–336.
- “The Statistical Analysis of Roll Call Data: A Cautionary Tale.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 32 (August 2007): 341–360.
- “Candidate Quality, the Personal Vote, and the Incumbency Advantage in Congress.” American Political Science Review 101 (May 2007): 289–301.
- “Redistricting, Candidate Entry, and the Politics of Nineteenth Century U.S. House Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 50 (April 2006): 283–293.
- “Minority Rights and Majority Power: Conditional Party Government and the Motion to Recommit in the House, 1909–2000.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 30 (May 2005): 219–234.
- “Strategic Politicians and U.S. House Elections, 1874–1914.” The Journal of Politics 67 (May 2005): 474–496.
- “Pivotal Politics, Presidential Capital, and Supreme Court Nominations.” Congress and the Presidency 32 (Spring 2005): 31–48.
- “Presidential Capital and the Supreme Court Nomination Process.” The Journal of Politics 66 (August 2004): 663–683.
- “Procedural Contexts, Party Strategy, and Conditional Party Voting in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1971–2000.” American Journal of Political Science 47 (April 2003): 305–317.
- “Are All Amateurs Equal? Candidate Quality in the 1992–1998 U.S. House Elections.” Politics and Policy 30 (September 2002): 482–501.
Public Writing
- “Tenure Committees Are Too Tolerant of Mediocrity.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 5, 2026.
Curriculum Vitae
Contact
jroberts [at] unc [dot] edu
Office
314 Hamilton Hall
CB 3265
Chapel Hill, NC 27599