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A record number of candidates contested parliamentary seats in the 2024 general election in the United Kingdom. This article discusses three key aspects that have garnered attention from both academics and practitioners studying the characteristics, motivations and experiences of candidates: gender representation, security concerns and local residency. Candidate data shows that, despite an increase in female MPs, the overall number of female candidates declined, highlighting structural barriers within party selection processes. Second, the rise in harassment, abuse and intimidation has led many candidates, particularly women, to withhold their home addresses on ballot papers, impacting their perceived local connection to voters. Finally, while localism remains a valued asset for candidates, security concerns diminish its role in contemporary campaigns. Challenges for future elections remain for political parties to address gender imbalances during the selection process, enhance candidate safety and reconsider local engagement strategies to foster a more inclusive and connected political landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuition levels in the US have been rising at an above-the-inflation pace, leading to spiraling student debt levels and negative effects on students' well-being. While student outcomes of rising tuition are well known, the political reasons behind the decisions of policy makers to contain tuition increases or not remain poorly understood. In this article, we focus on electoral accountability that policy makers face for rising tuition by examining voters' reactions. Using a survey experiment with a sample of US adults (N = 1040), we show that clarity of responsibility is an important factor affecting reactions to rising tuition levels. When voters are informed about the role of the government in tuition setting, they are more likely to vote out policy makers responsible for cuts in funding. We show a similar relationship in observational data using a nationally representative survey from Cooperative Congressional Election Study. State governors' approval is lower in states where tuition levels increased recently, and the relationship is moderated by the visibility of government in tuition-setting. By demonstrating that policy makers face repercussions for rising tuition but are able to avoid blame in certain conditions, we contribute to scholarly understanding of preferences of policy makers in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]