Political Analytics Hackathon

The 2018 Harvard Political Analytics Hackathon will provide people with an interest in data and politics to be the first to tell the story of the 2018 election. The teams will analyze new election returns, polling, and geographic data from the midterm elections just nine days prior. They will consider the extent to which politics has reorganized around President Trump and analyze what the 2018 midterms might tell us about the 2020 presidential election.

The hackathon provides a unique opportunity for undergraduates and recent-graduates to collaborate with leaders in political consulting, academia, and the media. The winning team from the 2017 hackathon featured a New York Times Correspondent, a professor from the University of California-Merced, a senior analyst at a data analytics firm, and a senior at Harvard College.

The event will take place on the afternoon and evening of Thursday, November 15, and participants will present their results during the conference on November 16.

Harvard undergraduates who are interested in participating can apply here. The deadline for initial applications is 5pm, October 5. Please note that participation in the event will be limited to a small number of students who have shown an interest in American politics and have experience with statistical analysis (preferably in R or Stata).

If you have question about the Hackathon, please contact Stephen Pettigrew at pettigr@sas.upenn.edu.