Ranked-choice voting has been in the news a lot lately. But, what is it? How does it work? And, is it more democratic than the single-vote method we’re used to?
Jenna Spinelle articles
Jenna Spinelle is the communications specialist for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State and host of the podcasts When the People Decide and Democracy Works.
Inside the world’s largest democracy
More than 600 million people voted in India’s most recent election, but that does not mean all
Andrew Sullivan On Democracy’s Double-Edged Sword
Andrew Sullivan discusses the future of American democracy on this week’s episode of the Democracy Works podcast.
Impeachment — From the Federalist Papers to the Whistleblower
Michael Berkman and Michael Nelson discuss the constitutional framework for impeachment and what the Framers had in mind when they set it up. They also discuss how impeachment is a unique cooperation between the three branches.
Podcast: China’s threat to democracies around the world
Larry Diamond joins the Democracy Works podcast this week to talk about the threat China’s model of authoritarian capitalism poses to liberal democracy in the United States and around the world.
Podcast: One state’s fight for fair maps
Pennsylvania is one of several states trying to ensure fair congressional maps are drawn after the 2020 Census. As we say in the episode, redistricting is one of democracy’s thorniest problems.
Podcast: How Conspiracies Are Damaging Democracy
Democracy scholars Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum call it “conspiracy without the theory” and unpack the concept in their book A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy.
Podcast: Defending the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate
The First Amendment and a strong Fourth Estate are essential to a healthy democracy. David McCraw, deputy general counsel of the New York Times, joins us to discuss how he helps journalists do their work,
Podcast: The Past, Present, and Future of Protests
L.A. Kauffman is a longtime organizer and author of the book How to Read a Protest: The Art of Organizing and Resistance. She traces the history of the modern protest movement since the March on Washington in 1963.
Podcast: A Conversation About Conversation
Why is it so hard for people to talk to each other? There are a lot of easy answers we can point to, like social media and political polarization, but there’s another explanation that goes a bit deeper.