Personal Summary

Christina Barsky is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Montana. There she works with current and future generations of public servants on solving wicked problems and meeting public challenges. Her scholarship broadly engages three foci: 1) election science; 2) front-line provision of basic public services; and, 3) the scholarship of teaching and learning.  Previously, in her career as a practitioner, Barsky held leadership positions with a premier public affairs firm and a regional nonprofit collaborative. She continues to serve as a research and strategy expert through her consultancy and was elected to chair of the Missoula County Election Advisory Committee in 2021.

Education

Northern Arizona University, Ph.D.
University of Montana, MPA
Skidmore College, BA

Courses Taught

 

Projects

Recent Projects

Whole-Community Recovery and Resiliency after the Yellowstone River Flood

Scholar Strategy Network (SSN) Election Protection and Enhancement Program

2022 Missoula Voter Survey

Internal Evaluator, Montana American Indians in Math and Science (MT-AIMS)

2020 Missoula Voter Survey

Field of Study

Public Administration, Public Policy, American Government, Election Administration, Public Health Administration, Pedogogy of Teaching and Learning

Selected Publications

Select Peer Reviewed Articles

Camarillo, Earlene & Barsky, Christina S. Front-Line Public Health Workers’ Perceptions of Government COVID-19 Response: Burnout in Montana and Oregon. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, forthcoming.

Barsky, Christina S., & Camarillo, Earlene. (2023). The impacts of politicization on public health workers: The COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon and Montana. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, 48(6), 859-888. https://doi.org/10.1215/03616878-10852601

Barsky, Christina S. (2022). Volunteers, Civil Servants, and Street-Level Bureaucrats: What Motivates Poll Workers to Serve on the Front-Lines of Elections? Public Administration Quarterly, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/07349149241231109

Clark, Amanda D., Barsky, Christina S., & Bustinza, Monica A. (2022). Heavy lifting: Emotional labor and election administration. Administration & Society, 55(2), 308-325. https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997221133497

Solop, Frederic I., Anderson, Haley N., Barsky, Christina S., Schnurr, Emily, & Witlacil, M. (2022) Introducing Client-Focused Research (CFR) Projects into the Research Methods Curriculum: Key Considerations for Political Science Instructors. Journal of Political Science Education, 18(3), 284-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2022.2058518

Harsell, Dana Michael, Barsky, Christina S., & Golas, Supriya. (2022). Simulation Efficacy and Applicability: Reported Learning from a Virtual Computer-Based Pandemic Simulation on Skill-Based Competencies Among Public Affairs Students. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 28(2), 182-210. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2021.2011665

Rinfret, Sara & Barsky, Christina S. (2020). The Gatekeepers of U.S. Elections: Exploring Street Level Bureaucrats in Montana. International Journal of Public Administration, 43(16), 1357-1365. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2019.1669173

Rinfret, Sara, Barsky, Christina S., & Scott, Sam (2018). Public Perceptions, Elections Administration, and the Role of Street Level Bureaucrats. Public Administration Quarterly, 42(4), 493-515. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26892950

Other Peer-Reviewed Publications

McKeague, Lauren, Barsky, Christina S., Hazelton-Boyle, Josephine, & Emidy, M. Blake. “Making Us Whole Again? Lessons from Montana Disaster Recovery” (QR359) https://hazards.colorado.edu/quick-response-report/making-us-whole-again

Select Refereed Book Chapters

Barsky, Christina S., Bustinza, Monica, Clark, Amanda, & Emidy, M. Blake. (2024). Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: What Motivates Poll Workers to Serve During a Pandemic Emergency and Political Unrest. In Joseph A. Coll & Joseph Anthony (Eds.), Hindsight is 2020: Lessons Learned from the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election (pp. 14-25). Palgrave MacMillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44549-1_2  

Barsky, Christina S., Clark, Amanda, & Bustinza, Monica. (2023). Swing State? The Impact of Twenty Years of Florida Election Law Post-HAVA. In Walter Clark Wilson, Sean D. Foreman, & Marcia L. Godwin (Eds)., The Roads to Congress 2022 (pp.127-143). Palgrave MacMillian. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42749-7_7

Recent Media Contributions

Apr. 22, 2024, The Daily Montanan. University of Montana study: Public service motivates poll workers, but so does money

Apr. 2, 2024, Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Montana researchers seeking resident input about 2022 flood recovery

Mar. 21, 2024, Billings Gazette. Survey seeks input from Yellowstone-area flood victims

Oct. 31, 2023, NBC Montana. Missoula municipal election 1 week away, ballot returns low

Aug. 23, 2023. The Daily Montanan. Polling experts weigh in on contested Realtors' survey

Feb. 17, 2023. KTVQ. Carbon County resident says video shows ballot shredding: state investigating

Nov. 11, 2022, Politico. Supreme Court races offer anti-abortion groups a win on a tough night

Nov. 11, 2022, E&E Daily. Zinke returns to face old Capitol Hill friends and foes

Nov. 9, 2022, Montana Public Radio. Professor: Growth in mail voting means longer waits for election results

Nov. 9, 2022, Montana Public Radio. Voter turnout in Montana was around 56%, down from 72% in 2018

Nov. 8, 2022, Montana PBS. Montana Election Night Coverage

Nov. 8, 2022, The Drop, OZY. The election deniers who could overturn your vote

Oct. 20, 2022, The Arizona Republic. Arizona governor candidates Kari Lake, Katie Hobbs on election proposals

Oct. 7, 2022, The Daily Montanan. Montana House candidates split on abortion, but debate shifts following Dobbs

Oct. 4, 2022, The Daily Montanan. All Montana’s U.S. House of Representatives’ candidates want your vote – one asks directly

Sept. 30, 2022, The Daily Montanan. Zinke attacks Libertarian Lamb, Tarnel points to GOP opponent’s ‘lies’

Aug. 26, 2022, The Daily Montanan. Zinke still pegged as winner, but analysts see ‘vulnerabilities’

Aug. 8, 2022, Montana Public Radio. Audit shows Montana primary election was accurate and secure

June 8, 2022, The Washington Post/AP. Wrong-sized ballots delay results in Montana U.S. House Race

June 6, 2022, National Public Radio. Montana Democrats hustle for a spot in the U.S. House

May 22, 2022, The Missoulian. More American than apple pie

Feb. 24, 2022, Montana Public Radio. Federal judge may end up redrawing Montana’s utility regulator districts

Oct. 24, 2021, The Daily Montanan. Study: In Missoula County, confidence in elections is high

Oct. 19, 2021, Montana Public Radio. Montana Democrats push for ‘competitive’ congressional districts, Republicans call it ‘gerrymandering’

Oct. 18, 2021, Montana Public Radio. One line, two districts, nine maps: Montana Districting Commission inches toward final congressional map

May 17, 2021, Yellowstone Public Radio. New Montana ballot collection law raises concerns over voting access

Feb. 5, 2021, The Missoulian. Why paid leave matters for Montanans (with Sara Rinfret)

Jan. 8, 2021, The Missoula Current. Poll finds confidence among Missoula voters in the election, balloting process

Nov. 6, 2020, Montana PBS. How Montanans Voted: Analyzing the 2020 Election

Nov. 3, 2020, Montana PBS. Montana Election Night Coverage

Sept. 25, 2020, The Good Trade. What will it take to get more women in politics?

Sept. 8, 2020, The Billings Gazette. Trial begins in Montana tribes’ lawsuit over ballot collection laws

Jan. 23, 2019, The Missoulian. UM professors discuss how law and policies play into government shutdown

Nov. 8, 2018, Montana PBS. How Montanans Voted: Analyzing the 2018 Election

Nov. 6, 2018, Montana PBS. Montana Election Night Coverage

Affiliations

Affiliated Faculty: Max S. Baucus Institute

Affiliated Faculty: American Indian Governance and Policy Institute