I am currently a PhD Candidate in Political Science at the University of Iowa, studying American Politics and Methodology. My research interests include legislative studies, representation, gender, state politics, research methods, and data visualization. I graduated from Creighton University in May 2021 with a BA in Political Science and minors in History and Gender Studies.

My dissertation investigates how individual and institutional factors shape the complexity of legislative texts in both Congress and the U.S. states. Drawing on large-scale datasets of bill texts, I conceptualize and develop measures to examine how legislators use complexity to signal expertise, navigate institutional constraints, and appeal to different audiences. Using text-as-data approaches and statistical modeling, my dissertation reveals how legislator's backgrounds and institutional roles shape the bills they write, showing how complexity functions as a strategic tool of policymaking and representation.

 Taylor Tokos CV