Rice political scientist available to discuss the fate of the Astrodome

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Amy Hodges
713-348-6777
amy.hodges@rice.edu

Rice political scientist available to discuss the fate of the Astrodome

HOUSTON — (Nov. 4, 2013) — Houston voters will head to the polls Nov. 5 to vote on the fate of the Astrodome. Rice University political scientist Robert Stein is available to discuss the vote to support or reject a bond to raise $217 million to convert Houston’s iconic Astrodome into a convention hall and exhibit space.

In September, Stein conducted a poll that showed 45 percent of Harris County likely voters supported the county issuing a bond to raise $217 million to convert Houston’s iconic Astrodome into a convention hall and exhibit space; 35 percent opposed issuing the bond and nearly 20 percent were unsure.

The Houston Astrodome was the world’s first domed sports stadium when it opened in 1965, quickly becoming known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation unveiled plans for “The New Dome Experience” in June but has warned that failure of the ballot measure to pass would likely mean demolition for the stadium.

Stein is an expert on voting behavior, urban politics and public policy; his publications have appeared in a wide range of scholarly journals. Stein’s current research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and examines the impact of the federal aid system on the electoral trajectories of officeholders at both the subnational and congressional levels. Other research by Stein examines collective action among metropolitan area governments and voting behavior.

Rice University has a VideoLink ReadyCam TV interview studio. ReadyCam is capable of transmitting broadcast-quality standard-definition and high-definition video directly to all news media organizations around the world 24/7.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact David Ruth, director of national media relations at Rice, at david@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.

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Related materials:

Robert Stein bio: http://politicalscience.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=145

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