Kevin Deegan-Krause researches and teaches about democratic institutions and works to support them abroad—especially in Europe—and at home, especially at the local and state levels.  He deeply committed to the efforts of Voters Not Politicians to make our democratic institutions stronger, more resilient, and more accessible to citizens.  He has been an active participant in the VNP efforts from the first round of town halls in early 2017 through the successful referendum vote in 2018, as well as in the subsequent VNP initiatives (including the Accountability Project, SafeVote, You Draw the Line and Promote the Vote 2022) that have made VNP the leader in promoting good government and public engagement in Michigan.

As a professor of political science, Kevin works to promote civic engagement in his courses for students at Wayne State University, his work with incoming and outgoing international exchange scholars through the Fulbright Commission, and his lectures to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.   His research focuses on political parties and democracy with emphasis on Europe’s newer democracies and its newer parties. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters and his newest book, co-authored with Dr. Timothy Haughton of the University of Birmingham, is The New Party Challenge: Changing Cycles of Party Birth Death in Central Europe and Beyond (Oxford University Press, 2020) 

Together with his wife Bridget and his children Elena and Peter, Kevin is also engaged in his local community of Ferndale, Michigan where he has served on the elected library board and school board, and managed local ballot issue campaigns.  He actively participates in election administration as a regular poll for Ferndale and Oakland County and as an international election observer with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.