Debate experts at UW-Madison

The following University of Wisconsin–Madison experts are available to speak with reporters covering the third and final presidential debate, scheduled for 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This debate will consist of six 15-minute segments on the following topics: debt and entitlements, immigration, the economy, the Supreme Court, foreign hot spots and fitness to be president. Those topics are subject to change based on any news developments.

Barry C. Burden, professor of political science and founding director of the Elections Research Center, can comment on polling and public opinion, representation and election administration. Burden can be reached at bcburden@wisc.edu.

Lucas Graves, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and author of “Deciding What’s True: The Rise of Political Fact-Checking in American Journalism,” can comment on fact-checking. He can be reached at lucas.graves@wisc.edu.

Dhavan V. Shah, professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of the Mass Communication Research Center, can comment on debate dynamics, candidate nonverbal communication, vote choice, and social media. He can be reached at dshah@wisc.edu.

Michael W. Wagner, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and author of “Political Behavior of the American Electorate,” can comment on the impact debates have on vote choice, factors that predict election results, and news coverage of the debates. He can be reached at 608-230-5725 or mwagner8@wisc.edu.

Chris Wells, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is an expert on social media use during debates, and how people watching the debate have responded and posted. He can be reached at cfwells@wisc.edu or follow him on Twitter @cfwells.

Media representatives are invited to attend a viewing party and discussion of the debate in room 3650 of the George L. Mosse Humanities Building, hosted by the Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Society & Politics. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the debate starting at 8 p.m. There will be voter registration at the event and instant analysis by professors Barry Burden, David Canon and Mike Wagner following the debate.