C. Mara Suttmann-Lea

C. Mara Suttmann-Lea is an Associate Professor of Government at Connecticut College, specializing in American politics, election administration, voting reforms, political campaigns, and political participation. She joined the faculty in 2018 and focuses on improving electoral processes for vulnerable populations.

Her research explores how political actors like campaigns and election administrators interact with voting reforms. She is currently analyzing poll worker behavior, including motivations for service, demographic representation, and how voter race combined with ID laws affects eligibility assessments.

The 15 most recent articles span themes such as voter confidence, mail-in ballot rejection, social media election outreach, poll worker dynamics, and pandemic-era election adaptations. Keywords include election administration, voter education, and political trust, with sub-fields like ballot compliance, digital harassment of officials, and trust-building strategies.