The Data and Democracy Lab anchors the Data and Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Chicago. Led by Director Moon Duchin, the Lab began in 2016 as an informal research collective called the Metric Geometry and Gerrymandering Group (MGGG), which was based at the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University from 2018-2024 and the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University from 2024-2025 before moving to UChicago in fall 2025.
We research data science interventions – better mechanisms, better models, better metrics – for democracy. Our team brings expertise spanning mathematics, algorithms, software development, statistics, political science, geography, law, and policy.
Current research directions:
- Algorithmic approaches to electoral redistricting
- Voting polarization and the Voting Rights Act
- Alternative electoral systems, including but not limited to ranked choice voting (structural democracy)
- Privacy protection in census data and its impact on representation
Contact us:
General inquiries: [email protected]
Districtr mapping tool: [email protected]
