83rd Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference April 23-26, 2026

Welcome to the online platform for the 83rd Annual MPSA Conference! All sessions are located within the virtual conference platform; no individual Zoom session links will be sent. To access sessions and build your personal schedule, follow these steps:

1. Use the "Browse/Search the Program" and "Navigation and Settings" menus on the left-hand side of the page to find your session. You can pull up these menus at any time by clicking the Side Menu button at the top left-hand side of the screen.
2. After locating your session, click on the session title. Sessions are opened no earlier than 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. If you are trying to join a session and you find that it is not yet opened, you may need to wait a few minutes. Try refreshing your screen or re-entering the Session Summary page closer to the scheduled start time.
3. When the session has been opened for virtual attendees, a "Join Zoom Meeting" button will be visible at the top of the screen on the Session Summary page. Click on this button to join the session. The session will open in Zoom in a separate window. All sessions will close automatically at the scheduled time of conclusion.
4. To build out your conference schedule, click on the "Add to Personal Schedule" button. To access your personal schedule, click "Personal Schedule" under the "Navigation and Settings Menu" or select the calendar icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

More detailed instructions for the hybrid conference and virtual attendees can be found here.

Need Assistance?
Contact support staff via our live chat.

What should I do if my discussant doesn’t show up for the session?
All discussants in the conference program have confirmed their participation and are expected to perform their roles. If there is an emergency that requires last-minute cancellation, discussants should make every effort to email the written comments that they would have given, so that the chair and panelists can read and discuss those comments during the session. In the event that the discussant(s) does not arrive for the session, and has not communicated their absence to any of the panelists, panelists should still present their papers and exchange feedback with one another. After the session, please inform the MPSA of the discussant’s absence by emailing the Conference Director (speelmon@mpsanet.org).

What should we do if the chair is absent?
All chairs listed in the conference program have confirmed their participation and are expected to fulfill their role. In the event of an emergency, chairs should make every effort to notify session participants in advance and designate a replacement.

If the chair does not arrive and has not communicated their absence, the first discussant should step in to serve as chair. For Lightning Talk sessions, where there are no discussants, the first presenter should assume the role of chair.

The acting chair should follow the hybrid conference instructions posted in the room and may refer to additional guidelines for chairs here.

Chair responsibilities include:

• Introducing each paper, its author(s), and the discussant(s).
• Introducing each paper and the authors as well as the discussant(s).
• Ensuring that discussion remains respectful and productive.
• Managing time to ensure all presenters stay within their allotted slots. As a guideline:
  • 5 presenters: 10 minutes each
  • 4 presenters: 13 minutes each
  • 3 presenters: 14 minutes each
  • This should be followed by approximately 20 minutes for discussant comments and 15 minutes for audience Q&A.

After the session, please inform the MPSA of the chair’s absence by emailing the Conference Director (speelmon@mpsanet.org).

Conference Policies
The Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) is committed to providing a safe, harassment-free, hospitable and productive meeting environment for everyone attending our events, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, religion or belief. All conference participants must agree to abide by the MPSA Code of Conduct at Events as well as the MPSA Streaming and Recording Policy.