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PODCAST

Democracy Decoded

Campaign Legal Center

Let’s face it: This is an unprecedented time for our democracy. Many of our government’s checks and balances are being challenged or outright ignored. We did not arrive here because of one person or one policy, but rather the erosion of numerous safeguards, which, over time, have allowed some persistent issues with our system of government to be exploited. Decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in recent years have favored secretive political donations and restrictive voting laws, reshaping our

government politics

All Episodes

00:01:04

A Quick Update from Democracy Decoded

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/11/06

Host Simone Leeper shares a quick Election Day 2025 update — Campaign Legal Center staff worked to safeguard elections; millions of Americans exercised their freedom to vote in states across the country; and Democracy Decoded will return next week with lessons learned from this and past elections that we will carry with us into 2026 and beyond. About CLC:Democracy Decoded is a production of Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the wide range of challenges

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00:41:12

How Gerrymandering Undermines Fair Representation

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/10/30

Gerrymandering—the manipulation of voting maps for partisan gain—has been part of American politics since its founding, but today, the problem is reaching a breaking point.In this episode, host Simone Leeper shares the story of Vicki and Malcolm Reed, a Utah couple who Campaign Legal Center are representing in a landmark lawsuit defending voters’ rights, alongside Mark Gaber, CLC’s Senior Director of Redistricting. Together, they trace how Utahns fought back after lawmakers attempted to overturn a

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00:37:13

How Democracy Is Impacted by the Expansion of...

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/10/23

Presidential power has expanded far beyond what the framers of the Constitution envisioned. From Lincoln and Roosevelt to Nixon and Trump, presidents have pushed the limits of executive authority — often during moments of crisis. Understanding this history is key to understanding what comes next for American democracyIn this episode, host Simone Leeper speaks with American historians Douglas Brinkley and Rick Perlstein, CLC Executive Director Adav Noti and Juan Proaño, CEO of LULAC. In conversation,

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00:34:12

How Corruption and Abuses of Power Threaten Democracy

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/10/16

Corruption defines both the perception and reality of government, eroding trust and even threatening national security. Today, the safeguards meant to keep our government accountable are failing. From the mass firing of inspectors general to congressional stock trading and Supreme Court ethics scandals, abuses of power are weakening public trust and raising fears that the U.S. could slide toward kleptocracy.In this episode, host Simone Leeper speaks with Mark Lee Greenblatt, former Inspector General

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00:34:15

The Latest: How to Address Threats to the Rule of Law

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/10/09

The foundation of our democracy is the Constitution, a system of checks and balances and the rule of law. But today, those cornerstones are being blatantly disrespected by a presidential administration attempting to consolidate power at all costs..In this episode, host Simone Leeper is joined by Campaign Legal Center litigators Anna Baldwin and Brent Ferguson. They examine the most pressing examples of the erosion of the rule of law, from the politicization of the Department of Justice to the

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00:43:35

How Big Money Is Dominating American Politics

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/10/02

Record-breaking sums of money are pouring into American politics — from billionaires spending hundreds of millions to dark money groups hiding their donors. These sums have given wealthy interests outsized access and influence — while the Federal Election Commission (FEC), created to enforce campaign finance laws, has become unable to fulfill its mission.In this episode, host Simone Leeper speaks with former FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Campaign Legal Center

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00:42:42

How the U.S. Supreme Court Is Drastically Reshaping...

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/09/25

The U.S. Supreme Court has vastly reshaped American democracy — rolling back voting rights, enabling secret money in politics and expanding presidential power. These decisions have a real impact on all Americans by making it harder for citizens to exercise their freedom to vote, easier for wealthy interests to sway elections and more difficult to hold leaders accountable.In this episode, host Simone Leeper speaks with law professor and co-host of the Strict Scrutiny Podcast Leah Litman, Campaign

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00:02:36

Democracy Decoded, Season 5: How to Repair the Cracks...

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/09/04

How did American democracy reach such a precarious moment — and what can we do to fix things? Host Simone Leeper examines the fundamental threats to our democracy today, from gerrymandering and corruption to abuses of executive power and the outsized role of money in politics.Through real stories from everyday Americans and insights from the experts at Campaign Legal Center and other distinguished guests, this season of Democracy Decoded explores how we can use the tools we still have to repair the

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00:42:22

The Latest: What Trump's First 100 Days Mean for...

Democracy Decoded ·

2025/04/30

Donald Trump took office as president on January 20, 2025, having already served one term. Immediately, however, he made clear his second term would be even more unpredictable than his first. He put one of the world's richest men — and his biggest campaign donor — in charge of a shadowy new entity with seemingly unfettered access to government data. Trump also blitzed the system with a barrage of executive orders, which have seemingly upended the government. He has done everything from threatening

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00:30:34

The Latest: A Postelection Fight for Democracy

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/11/12

In the end, the worst of everyone’s election fears — political violence, overt foreign interference or a razor-thin margin between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump leading to a hotly contested legal battle — did not come to pass. Instead, Donald Trump won a plurality of votes for president, and did so decisively. On January 20, 2025, he will once again become the country’s most powerful executive.His victory raises weighty questions for the experts at Campaign Legal Center. Trump ran explicitly on a

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00:02:27

Today’s the Day — Go Vote!

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/11/05

This week’s episode is short, sweet, and to the point: It’s Election Day, and if you haven’t yet cast your vote, let us be your friendly reminder. Like many of her CLC colleagues, Simone will spend the day monitoring elections. Next week she’ll be back with the final episode of the season, with a look at how this most dramatic election is playing out.Until then, it’s up to you.Nationwide nonpartisan Election Protection (EP) hotline:866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) Host:Simone Leeper litigates a wide

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00:32:04

The Latest: The 2024 Election, in a Nutshell

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/10/29

An incumbent president drops out, mid-race. A former president becomes a party’s nominee for the first time in more than a century. There are multiple occurrences of political violence against a candidate. Newly emergent AI tools spread disinformation. And a Supreme Court that may be called upon to decide the race is perceived by the electorate as increasingly politicized.The 2024 election cycle has already made its share of history. With Election Day now just a week away, we bring you another of

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00:27:21

Know Your Rights as a Voter

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/10/22

Imagine you’re at home when you hear a knock. At your door are people who want you to share, in detail, who you voted for in the last election, months ago. When you ask them who they are and where they’re from, they remain vague and perhaps even aggressive.This was the case for some Americans in the years after the 2020 election, part of a spate of behaviors by election skeptics and deniers that, in some cases, amounted to voter intimidation. The history of voter intimidation in the United States is

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00:32:32

Navigating Election Facts in the AI Era

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/10/15

When New Hampshire voters picked up the phone earlier this year and heard what sounded like the voice of President Joe Biden asking them not to vote in that state’s primary election, the stage was set for an unprecedented election year. The call was a deepfake — and the first major instance of artificial intelligence being used in the 2024 election. With the rise of AI tools that can credibly synthesize voices, images and videos, how are voters supposed to determine what they can trust as they

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00:30:02

The Latest: The Fights Over Election Certification

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/10/08

Election certification has traditionally been a mostly symbolic process in the United States. You vote, your vote gets counted, your precinct and others get tallied together (“canvassed” is the term of art) and, within a few days, everyone looks at the counts and agrees on a winner. But lately, this banal, bland procedure has become a political flashpoint, as people who question the election process impose unrealistic requirements on certification — and, in some cases, outright refuse to certify

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00:26:25

Safeguarding America’s Electoral Process

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/10/01

The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of American democracy that sets the United States apart — the so-called north star of our electoral system. Yet the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 challenged that tradition profoundly. In the lead-up to this November, we answer the question that is on the minds of many voters: Will the months after this presidential election look like the aftermath of the last one?Fortunately, lawmakers who were caught in the eye of that storm seized the

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00:31:22

The Latest: Attacks on Voter Registration

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/09/24

Voter registration is the number one obstacle to voting in the United States. It should be easy, accessible and secure, but too often, states are moving backwards; making voter registration more difficult and less equitable. Here, we introduce a new type of episode: an up-to-the-minute interview with an expert to help you better understand some of the most important issues affecting elections. Danielle Lang, a voting rights attorney at CLC, joins Simone to explain why major actions in Arizona and

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00:21:00

Democracy’s Frontline Workers

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/09/17

Election workers are the people in your neighborhood. They’re our friends, neighbors and co-workers who help keep American democracy safe and secure.. But in 2020, many of them were maligned, harassed and threatened in battleground states — the targets of bad actors who sought to sow distrust in the electoral process.How can we better protect and support the many dedicated civil servants and volunteers who provide such crucial work? The thousands of election workers who will staff this November's

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00:02:03

Democracy Decoded, Season 4: The U.S. Election System...

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/09/03

American elections work because we have tried-and-tested systems in place to make sure votes are cast fairly and counted correctly, and that when threats arise, everyone has their part to play: lawmakers, poll workers, voting rights advocates, and everyday voters alike. To understand how our elections continue to evolve, this season of Democracy Decoded takes a deep dive into our electoral system, exploring the checks and balances that make the process safe, secure, and accurate. Host Simone Leeper

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00:26:34

Bonus: Peeling Back the Curtain on Local Government

Democracy Decoded ·

2024/06/25

In this bonus episode we’re featuring content from one of our favorite podcasts called “When the People Decide”. Host Jenna Spinelle explores what happens when neighbors and local government work together to make their communities stronger and more inclusive.The episode takes place in Decatur, Georgia and tells the story of “Decatur 101” a straightforward class open to anyone in Decatur to learn about how their city government worked.We hear from Linda Harris, the originator of the class, and

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