Avsnitt
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There's a lot that we take for granted about how voting works in US elections these days, but there has been a lot of trial and error over time in administering them. Significant changes in how voting works have occurred over the 235+ years since the US Constitution was ratified. This series takes a look at many of the changes in US voting policy.
Today's episode covers how the voting process has been refined over time: WHEN we vote, WHO we vote for, and HOW our vote is counted. This includes how we came to decide when Election Day is held, the changes in which officials have been directly elected and appointed, and the technology improvements in counting votes. Some of the ways elections were administered in the olden days are bizarre to think about from today's point of the view. -
How we pay our elected officials can be a touchy subject , especially when those officials themselves propose pay raises , but it's more important to discuss than most citizens realize. It's a difficult job and there are a lot of factors at play. How we compensate officials plays a big role in their efficiency, representativeness of voters, capability of performing their role, ability to hire staff, capability of devoting themselves to their role, and more.
Yet there is no easy way to determine what we should be paying elected officials or what benefits should be available to them. And being government officials, that means their pay comes from our taxpayer dollars. The level of compensation can also vary dramatically based on which elected position it is, what state and locality it is in, and more. Today's episode of Politics with Paul covers the factors that go into deciding elected officials' pay, examples of compensation that we already see, and the methods we use to decide how to compensate officials. -
Saknas det avsnitt?
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Gerrymandering, the deliberate redrawing of legislative district lines to unfairly benefit a party or politician, is a serious problem that negatively impacts Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike. It is often described as "politicians choosing voters" instead of the way it should be, "voters choosing politicians."
On today's episode, our guest Mary Noone, a seasoned campaign strategist and advocate, discusses her insight into the issue of gerrymandering, including how it impacts voter participation, how the courts have handled it, and steps we can start taking to mitigate the problem. Today's random question of the day: What superpower would you choose? -
Political efficacy - how well citizens understand politics (internal efficacy) and impact politics (external efficacy) - is a crucial aspect of American politics. Efficacy is needed to ensure government responsiveness and accountability, a well-informed electorate, electoral competitiveness, and helpful public discourse.
Unfortunately, however, there are many threats to political efficacy, and efficacy levels are arguably at some of the lowest they have ever been. Today's episode of Politics with Paul covers the nature of political efficacy, the ways efficacy is measured, the aforementioned threats to efficacy, why efficacy is so important to the health of our political culture, and some beginning questions and steps toward improving efficacy. -
The separation of powers is a fundamental component to the American system of government. In general, the executive branch executes laws, the legislative branch writes laws, and the judicial branch interprets laws. But while the absolute basics are straightforward, there are many nuances to the debate as to what responsibilities and powers are within each branch's sphere, how each branch can and should check and balance the other two, and whether the separation of powers is being threatened by the actions (or inaction) or one or more branches.
Today's episode gives a rundown of what separation of powers is and why we have it. It also discusses various general debates as to what each of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches is allowed to do, whether one branch is taking too much power, whether the other branches are allowing another to take too much power, and how Donald Trump (particularly in his 2nd term) factors into the equation. Buckle up! -
Voters identifying as "independent" are a fast-growing bloc of voters, yet there are a lot of misunderstandings about the label. "What is an independent?" seems like a straightforward question. Yet if you ask 5 different independents what it means to be independent, you could very well get 5 different definitions. Today's episode delves into how "independent" is defined, how many independents are registered to vote, and more.
Today's Random Fact of the Day that this episode also explores: Did you know that the US Senate, and some states' governors, used to be selected by state legislatures instead of a popular vote by citizens? -
Every presidential election is important, but some have more long-lasting impacts than others. These include changes to the political landscape, fundamentally reshaping the executive branch and the presidency's power, establishing precedents, and establishing long-lasting programs.
Today's episode covers some of the most consequential presidential elections in this regard, focusing on both the elections themselves and the results thereafter. (In some cases, the loser of the election had a monumental impact, too.) Then, at the end, we examine how Donald Trump's elections could potentially compare to those impactful elections of years past. -
It has sometimes been remarked upon a president’s reelection that there is a “2nd term curse,” where presidential records and legacies take a hit due to lesser success than the 1st term. But are 2nd terms really less successful than 1st terms? What factors can we look at to examine the theory’s validity? What do other political observers have to say about the idea? Today’s episode covers these questions and more, including how Donald Trump (currently) compares to previous two-term presidents?
Today’s Random Fact of the Day: Donald Trump and Grover Cleveland are the two presidents to serve nonconsecutive terms, but did you know that there a bunch of other prominent offices in the US that have seen people serve nonconsecutive terms? -
As strong as political party attachments can be, there are times where elected officials, candidates, and voters can drift away to a different party or go independent. What are some of the reasons for this? Is it a fast or slow process? How have party affiliations shifted by demographics and region over time? Do we have statistics on elected officials that have changed party affiliation? All these questions and more are part of today's topic.
Today's Random Fact of the Day: Did you know that Inauguration Day for president was not always January 20th? -
The Democratic and Republican Parties are often treated as monoliths that think almost if not entirely the same way on all issues. While Democrats are becoming more uniformly liberal and Republicans are becoming more uniformly conservative, you can find some noticeable differences within the parties in different parts of the country based on political necessity, upbringing and environment, and factional struggles to lead county and state-level affiliates of the two main parties. Today’s episode discusses why we see these variations, how we measure differences within the parties, and specific examples of state-level parties that differ from their counterparts and the national parties at large.
Today is our first iteration of Random Fact of the Day: Did you know that not every state has counties? Check out the episode for more details on this fact, including differences in county governments. -
Happy New Year, everyone! Have you wondered how exactly the electorate is divided between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents? The answer is sort of complicated, but we do have some sense of the divide. Today's episode covers how exactly we know what we do about voters' party affiliations, how each state handles parties on the ballot, survey data on the public's party identifications, and what states actually register their voters' party affiliations.
Today's random question: What is one of your New Year's resolutions? -
Calls for implementing term limits on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) are not new, but they have seen amplified calls in recent years. But would term limits fix the issues with the current appointment process? Are lifetime outdated? There are a bunch of practical and philosophical considerations to think about in this debate such as the arguments made for and against lifetime terms versus fixed terms, how state supreme courts handle selection for their justices, and how an amendment to the US Constitution implementing SCOTUS term limits would be added. Today’s episode covers all this and more, including the joint resolution proposed by US Senators Joe Manchin and Peter Welch.
Today’s random question: What common grammatical/pronunciation mistake really grinds your gears? -
The partisanship of Congress has ebbed and flowed over its history. Yet while majority control of the US House and US Senate tends to be hotly contested between the Democratic and Republican Parties these days, that wasn't always the case. Both parties have had periods where one has demonstrated dominance over the other. Today's episode is an overview of the partisan history of the US Congress, including a brief look before the Republican Party formed in the 1850s, Republican supremacy during the Civil War/Reconstruction Era and the 1890s/1900s/1920s, Democratic supremacy during the Great Depression/World War II and the 1960s/1970s, and the heightened division of the past 30 years.
Today's random question: Do you wish you could play every instrument in the world or speak every language in the world? Leave your answer in the comments below or comment on the video where available. -
US presidential power and prestige has expanded greatly since the Framers of the Constitution designed the new form of American government. Yet just as heavy debate ensued at that time as to what the president can and should do with his powers, controversies have continued all throughout US history through today. Today's looks at some of those debates (such as whether checks on presidential power should be relaxed in certain cases), how previous presidents have wielded their power, and how the president interacts with Congress (legislative) and Supreme Court (judicial) branches of government.
Today's random question: What is a word that is grossly overused and needs to be severely curbed? -
Why do we hate politicians (particularly Congress) so much yet so often reelect the same ones? The incumbency advantage is a well-documented phenomenon in political science, and 2024 saw sky-high reelection rates for elected officials running for their same seats. Although incumbency advantage can vary by type of office (e.g. Congress, governors) and by state, those already in office tend to have an advantage by virtue of already holding the seat. Why do incumbents generally enjoy an advantage over challengers in this regard? How successful have recent and historical incumbent reelection bids been? That’s what today’s episode dives into.
Today’s random question: What is your ideal Thanksgiving meal? -
Another presidential election has come and gone, with Republicans walking away with generally more success than Democrats. Yet the 2024 results aren’t entirely settled. Some election winners have yet to be decided, and accurate vote totals still need to be certified. However, there are a lot of takeaways we can already glean. Today covers results for president, Congress, governor, state legislatures, and ballot measures, along with some instances of split-ticket voting.
Today's random question: Was Pluto’s demotion to dwarf planet justified, or should it be granted full planet status again? Leave your answer in the comments below or comment on the video where available. -
It’s finally here. We’re on the cusp of the 2024 general election, and the next president of the United States is about to be decided. Either Democrat Kamala Harris will become the nation’s first female president or Republican Donald Trump will become the second president to serve nonconsecutive terms in office. Popular votes do not decide presidential elections, however: Electoral College votes do. But if someone doesn’t win a majority of the Electoral College, what happens next? Regardless of that, where are the least and most competitive states in the Electoral College? All this and more is today’s topic.
Today's random question: Who/what is your favorite musician/band? Leave your answer in the comments below or comment on the video where available. -
Today's episode dives into some of the most important, competitive US House and gubernatorial races and state legislative chambers that could possibly flip majority party control. These US House races not only are critical for determining whether Republicans keep the majority or Democrats gain it, but also for their potential impacts on the presidential election (including ways you may not expect), US Senate elections, gubernatorial elections, and state legislative control.
There is no random question today. That will be saved for the end of this string of episodes. -
There are 9 or so seats up for election in the US Senate in 2024 that are expected to be competitive, including some states that are presidential battlegrounds. Today's episode of PwP covers the races in that chamber are expected to be the tightest, including one contest that has a slight chance of being an upset, and some of the key factors to look at in each.
There is no random question today. That will be saved for the end of this string of episodes. -
What kind of factors and contexts should we look at to determine whether an election is competitive? Such aspects include campaign finances, party support, the impact of simultaneous races, and candidate qualities. Yet it’s not enough to have an advantage in any of these aspects—you must be able to harness those advantages properly. This episode takes a general overview of what makes elections competitive and which 2024 contests for US Senate, US House, governor, and state legislative chamber control are expected to be competitive. Later this week, we will take a deeper dive into what exactly makes those races competitive.
Today does not have a random question. That will be saved for the end of this string of episodes on competitive non-presidential races. - Visa fler
