Chris Copsey
Chris Copsey is a Legislative Aide in the Maryland General Assembly. Prior to this, he was the Director of Legislative Research in the Austin, Texas, office of Project Vote Smart, an online resource for information about presidential, statewide, congressional and state legislative races. A graduate of Ball State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History, Chris spent a year doing postgraduate work at the University of Sheffield in England before coming to Project Vote Smart in summer 2009, working in their Montana office as a legislative research associate. In January, he transitioned to his current position in the Maryland House of Delegates.
The payroll tax cut extension and you
February 23, 2012 | BY Chris Copsey
Rewind your memory back a few months to last fall when a battle was brewing between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill. The issue was over extending the payroll tax cut that had been in place and was set to expire. After much haranguing from both sides, an agreement was made to extend the provision [...]
A picture is worth a thousand votes
November 14, 2011 | BY Chris Copsey
Have you ever had to show your ID to go to the movies or to buy a drink? What about to open a bank account? An issue that is exploding all around the country begs the question: should the government require citizens to show a photo ID in order to vote? Voting is a cornerstone [...]
Redistricting: the 10-year shake up
September 26, 2011 | BY Chris Copsey
This year has seen its fair share of controversial issues come up for discussion, including unemployment, immigration, and health care. But there is one issue that only pops up every decade with noticeable consequences — redistricting. Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes. To break [...]
Bill prefixes: decoding legislativese
August 23, 2011 | BY Chris Copsey
When looking at pieces of legislation, you will immediately see what is called a bill number, with an attached bill prefix. What you may not realize, however, is bill prefixes can be surprisingly helpful as you try to learn about the legislation floating around at the state and federal levels. More specifically, these prefixes define [...]
Legislative deja vu
August 2, 2011 | BY Chris Copsey
Have you ever had déjà vu? Have you ever come across something you know you’ve seen before, but can’t for the life of you put your finger on it? Believe it or not, in state Houses across the country, “legislative déjà vu” is pretty common – that is, similar pieces of legislation get passed in [...]
Legislative process: Goliath or Gentle Giant?
July 11, 2011 | BY Chris Copsey
(Editor’s Note: Occasionally, Y Gen Out Loud will be publishing a column by Chris Copsey, Director of Legislative Research with Project Vote Smart, a nonprofit online resource for information about federal and state elections. I’ve known Chris for a few months, and I’m excited to have him posting here. His columns will provide insight and [...]
