This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley the Mass Politics Profs joined us for a full hour at the Boston Public Library to talk through some of the biggest issues of the upcoming 2018 midterms.

After months of a bitter debate pitting nurse against nurse, a new poll suggests a slim majority intends to vote no on Massachusetts Ballot Question One. This follows a revamped campaign push from opponents of Question One who say setting limits on the number of patients a nurse can care for at one time could lead to staffing shortages and other unintended consequences. Listen to our debate about Ballot Question One from earlier this year.

A staffing shortage may also be partly to blame for the deadly Merrimack Valley explosions. Will that motivate Massachusetts lawmakers to push through emergency legislation now to fix it? They did after the Las Vegas shooting, passing legislation last year to ban bump stocks. With the midterms just weeks away, will lawmakers be able to take advantage of this policy window?

And, from ice cream vendors to ride share companies, unconventional get-out-the-vote efforts have sprung up inspired by these high stakes elections.

Guests:

Erin O’Brien - Associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Peter Ubertaccio - Founding Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Stonehill College and an Associate Professor of Political Science.

Rob DeLeo - Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Bentley University.

Mass Politics Profs: The 2018 Midterms, Question One and Disaster Policy After the Merrimack Valley Explosions 57:59 Share

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Mass Politics Profs: The 2018 Midterms, Question One and Disaster Policy After the Merrimack Valley Explosions