The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is proud to present the inaugural Charles Schumer Democracy Preservation Prize to Charles Stewart III, Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science at MIT and Director of the MIT Election Lab — the most prestigious academic address in the democracy-preservation business.

Professor Stewart has distinguished himself as America’s foremost defender of the millions of aspiring voters whom extremists are attempting to deny ballot access simply because they entered the country illegally. His courageous opposition to the racist SAVE Act — which would impose the outrageous indignity of citizenship verification on voters — reflects the highest traditions of scholarship pursued by MIT’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Socialist Scientism (SHASS).

When President Trump’s executive order on mail-in ballots threatened the seamless ballot-harvesting infrastructure that delivered such splendid results in 2020, Professor Stewart did not flinch. He told USA Today that complying with the order would be “a logistical nightmare” representing “magical thinking” — because apparently catching a 250-ton rocket booster traveling at supersonic speed with a pair of mechanical chopsticks is straightforward engineering, but maintaining a reliable mail-in ballot system is simply beyond America’s capabilities.

Critics note that 176 countries require voter ID — including Mexico, India, and every nation in South America — making the United States a proud global outlier. Wise political leaders on the right side of history are counting on Professor Stewart and the MIT Election Lab to continue working tirelessly to keep it that way.

The DSA salutes MIT’s invaluable service inventing the field of Election Science, designed to assure concerned citizens that all is well. When democracy needs defending, what could be better than a credentialed Expert™ with three Roman numerals after his name vouching for the status quo from a perch at the world’s leading STEM university.