Media — Tessa Provins

For journalists

I'm glad to talk with reporters about state legislatures, Congress, voting access, and tribal governance — for background, on-the-record comment, or help finding the right data.

Media inquiries

tessaprovins@arizona.edu · Based in Tucson, Arizona (Mountain Standard Time)

On deadline? University of Arizona Communications: 520-621-8747 · media_requests@list.arizona.edu. Listed among the U of A election experts (Oct 2026).

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Topics I can speak to

State legislatures

How chamber rules, debate limits, committees, and party unity shape what passes — and what stalls — across the 50 states.

Congress & congressional staff

Minority-party influence in the House, and who staffs Congress: diversity, placement, and capacity in member offices.

Voting access & election administration

How local election offices shape access to the ballot, including voting in Indian Country and the Voting Rights Act.

Tribal governance & federal Indian policy

Tribal government structure, tribal–federal funding relationships, and climate policy in Indian Country.

Short bio

Tessa Provins is an Assistant Professor in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona and a faculty affiliate of the Center for Effective Lawmaking. She studies how institutional rules shape who is represented and what policy gets made, in state legislatures, in Congress and in tribal governments, and how the rules that govern voting access shape which communities can participate. Her research appears in the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Publius and the Election Law Journal, among others. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Merced.

Download headshot · Photo may be used with media coverage.

In the news

U of A election experts available to speak to media

Oct 2026 · University of Arizona News · Expert listing

Shared power used to be the norm in statehouses. Now it’s nearly extinct

Jan 2023 · Stateline · Quoted on one-party control of state legislatures · Republished by CT Mirror, MinnPost

Events & community

Events I have organized or helped lead, as covered in the press.

Future Generations at the Forefront: Building Community in Indigenous Political Science

Sep 2025 · APSA · Political Science Now · Co-organizer, inaugural Future Generations workshop

Pittsburgh’s 2nd annual Indigenous Cultural Festival will celebrate the region’s Indigenous residents

Sep 2023 · Pittwire · Festival co-chair

‘We’re still here’: Dreamcatcher workshop ties together communities through crafts

Sep 2023 · The Pitt News · Indigenous Cultural Festival

‘It’s a history’: Local Indigenous community reflects on significance of Schenley powwow

Sep 2023 · The Pitt News · Indigenous Cultural Festival

Pitt’s first Indigenous Cultural Festival kicks off Sept. 19

Sep 2022 · Pittwire · Festival co-lead

Public talks

Oct 2026 · Co-organizer and panelist, SGPP Arizona Policy Lab Roundtable, “Arizona and 2026 Midterms: Races, Ballot Measures, and Voters” · University of Arizona

Nov 2025 · Speaker, SGPP Policy Lab Roundtable on the Voting Rights Act · University of Arizona

Summer 2019 · Voting Rights Advocacy Panel

tessaprovins@arizona.edu