Democracy Nerd

In a representative democracy, voters should be expected to choose their representatives. However, the practice of partisan gerrymandering allows politicians to choose their voters. The practice of gerrymandering determines whether district lines are drawn that either strengthen or dilute the voices of targeted voters. This episode of Democracy Nerd examines efforts to reform partisan gerrymandering. Guests include Katie Fahey, who helped lead a ballot initiative to ban

For many Americans, our electoral system can be described as "corrupt" and "undemocratic." How did the vision of a democratic republic as imagined by the Framers of the Constitution become "the best democracy money can by?" This episode of Democracy Nerd traces that evolution, looking at the past four decades of Supreme Court cases allowing unfettered "dark money" to influence national politics, the social and cultural impact of our current electoral system, and efforts

Free speech is a treasure right in the United States. Political campaigns, however, are very expensive. Highest-funded candidates typically win on Election Day, America's political-funding systems benefits wealthy donors and corporations, while shutting out ordinary Americans. The Pacific Northwest has become an epicenter for campaign finance reform, with Seattle and Portland passing various measures to reduce the impact of money on local elections. Will these limits help even

During the 2019 legislative session, Oregon lawmakers considered passing campaign finance reform that would place limits on campaign spending for state elections. With a Democratic super-majority, passing spending limits should be an easy task. However, past efforts to pass campaign finance reform were deemed a violation of the free speech clause in Oregon's state constitution. To pass campaign finance reform, Oregon lawmakers had to consider other options to bypass the free

Free speech is a treasure right in the United States. Political campaigns, however, are very expensive. Highest-funded candidates typically win on Election Day, America's political-funding systems benefits wealthy donors and corporations, while shutting out ordinary Americans. The Pacific Northwest has become an epicenter for campaign finance reform, with Seattle and Portland passing various measures to reduce the impact of money on local elections. Will these limits help even