2. State Governments

In this episode, Sonia and Eli talk about the different ways you can vote and how ballots get counted. First, we talk about getting registered to vote, and how easy it is to do so. We cover the pros and cons of voting in person, voting early, and voting by mail, and why all three methods are important. (And we list several ways you cannot vote.) Finally, we detail how the vote is counted, audited, and certified, and how news outlets are able to call elections on Election Day even before that count finishes. Links - Visit How to Vote in Every State to watch a short video about your state's registration and voting options Check your registration Register to vote Find your local polling place Sign up for election reminders Homework Your homework this week is to vote! If this was your first time voting, how did it feel? If your state uses electronic voting machines, campaign to get rid of them and replace them with paper ballots Keep an eye out for voter suppression tactics this election cycle. Have you seen any? Have your friends?

In this episode, perhaps the most important one of the series, Sonia and Eli discuss how to pick which candidates you’ll vote for. We start by talking about preparation, and why it’s important to go into the voting booth with a plan to vote in every race. We cover how to pick a candidate when you don’t agree fully with any of the choices, and how to square the desire to vote for a third-party candidate with our two-party reality. We also discuss strategies for voting for judges and ballot initiatives. Links Elections by state on Ballotpedia Look up your sample ballot here And more links are coming soon! Keep an eye on this space or go to whyyoushouldvote.com for updates. Homework Your homework this week is to pick your candidates. Go through and do all the stuff we talked about in this episode Make sure you know where your list of candidates is so you are ready to vote

In this episode, Sonia and Eli review every kind of election that could show up on your ballot this Election Day, from the federal to the local level. We introduce the primary and caucus systems, and explain the Electoral College and the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. We also explore ballot initiatives (a.k.a. referenda or propositions) and how they come to be on the ballot. Links Links are coming soon! Keep an eye on this space or go to whyyoushouldvote.com for updates. Homework Your homework this week is to check your local election cycles. See who in your state government is up for election or reelection this year Check to see if there are any ballot initiatives happening in your state, and then look them up to figure out what you think about them See who’s running for what positions in your state, then do a little research on them to see who you might want to vote for

In this episode, Sonia and Eli explain how other countries structure their governments and elect their representatives. We talk about different ways to ensure that the population is represented, and how those systems compare to the United States. We also cover Ranked Choice Voting, which is an alternative way to run elections that tries to ensure that the person who wins is the one that most number of people are happiest with. Links Links are coming soon! Keep an eye on this space or go to whyyoushouldvote.com for updates. Homework Your homework this week is to pick a country and learn about its government. Who is the head of state and who is the head of government? How does the legislature work? For bonus points: see if there is a group in your area campaigning for Ranked Choice Voting to be used in your local or state elections, and consider supporting their efforts!

In this episode Sonia and Eli describe various methods of intentional voter suppression. While some of these methods, like racist Jim Crow laws, have been weakened with time, others are alive and well today. With this episode we hope to make you alert to the danger posed by voter suppression. We also want to demonstrate how much voter suppression happens now. We’ll go through a list of common suppression techniques, and focus on one specific case to give you an idea of the true scope of the problem. Links Links are coming soon! Keep an eye on this space or go to whyyoushouldvote.com for updates. Homework Your homework this week is to check your registration and examine your state’s voting laws If you haven’t registered to vote, GO REGISTER TO VOTE! If you have registered, check that your registration is up to date and that it hasn’t been purged. Look at your state’s voting laws. Does your state disenfranchise felons? Does it require ID to vote? Can you vote early or by mail? How have your state’s voting laws changed recently? Are there any plans to change them for the upcoming election?

In this episode Eli and Sonia will give you a brief history of voting in the United States. The history of voting is long and fraught with struggle. We won’t go in depth into any specific piece of history, but we’ll give you an idea of the timeline that has resulted in your right to vote. We’ll take you from the Revolutionary Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction, and on to the Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights movements. Links Links are coming soon! Keep an eye on this space or go to whyyoushouldvote.com for updates. Homework Your homework this week is to connect your family and community history to the history of voting. Ask your parents or grandparents if they remember the Civil Rights movement, or the passage of the 26th Amendment during the Vietnam War. How did they feel about it? Did they participate in any way? See if you can find out anything about local efforts to secure the vote for disenfranchised groups. (Your local library or historical society may have something on local history which the librarians can help you find.)

In this episode Sonia and Eli talk about the importance of local governments. We’ll discuss various local systems, and some of the positions in government that you should know about when going to vote. We’ll also give you some examples to highlight how your everyday life is affected by the things your local government controls. Links Links are coming soon! Keep an eye on this space or go to whyyoushouldvote.com for updates. Homework Your homework this week is to look up your local governments and learn things about them. Who is your mayor? Who is your city councilor? Where are their offices? What level of local government runs your schools? Your zoning? Your law enforcement?

In this episode Eli and Sonia provide you with an overview of state governments. We couldn’t do every single state individually, but we give a broad sketch of what most state governments look like. We also describe federalism and how it works, with a couple of examples to provide some clarity. Notes A quick clarification: in this episode we unintentionally implied that the U.S. Postal Service is not an agency. This is incorrect! The USPS is an independent agency under the Executive branch. However, the Constitution also explicitly gives the Federal Government the power to establish post offices and post roads, which is why it’s a federal agency rather than run by states. Links & Resources Find your local state’s election office. Here is a list of every state governor. Nebraska has helpfully provided us with some info on their weird state government. Here is New York’s attempt at helping you understand their weird court system. We’re still judging you, New York. A few lists of which states elect judges, hold partisan or nonpartisan elections for judges, have retention elections, or do not elect judges. An annotated version of the U.S. Constitution, with notes to provide clarity. Articles IV and VI are particularly relevant to this episode, as is the Tenth Amendment. Some background reading on the Commerce Clause, including links to further info. Some analysis and background on the Tenth Amendment. Helpful background reading on Federalism and how it works. Just in case you wanted the stats to prove that Thomas writes a lot of dissents. Two maps comparing U.S. states to European countries by size and population. Background reading on state police powers. Here are the EPA’s regulations for emissions from onroad vehicles. (There are separate regulations for greenhouse gases and offroad vehicles, also linked on this page.) Here are some articles about cannabis legalisation and Federalism. Here’s a solid background on the Supremacy Clause. Should you go to law school? Probably not, tbh. Homework Your homework this week is to look up your state representatives. Find out who they are! Maybe check out their voting history on some issues you care about. Consider going to a town hall or public event where one of them will be present.

In this first official episode, Eli and Sonia take you through the basic structure of the federal government. We describe each of the three branches and how they interact, as well as who belongs in each branch. We also talk about what each branch controls, who you vote for and who is appointed, and how subsections of the three main branches work. Notes A quick correction: in this episode, we said that the President appoints secretaries, diplomats, and justices, and the Senate confirms them. Technically, the President nominates people for those positions and then the Senate confirms them. Links & Resources The official U.S. government website about federal elections and voting is a good starting place for information and resources about voting in the U.S. Look up contact information for all your elected officials General background and information about the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch Official websites for the House of Representatives and Senate, where you can find your representatives’ contact info and look up bills Official website of the President and the Executive Branch A list of all the government agencies and what they are responsible for Official website of the Federal Register, the repository of federal regulations and agency rules Look at and comment on proposed regulations (the site appears to be in beta, undergoing a revamp) Official website of the Supreme Court The Obergefell v. Hodges opinion, which is worth a read Homework Your homework this week is to look up your federal representatives. Know who your senators and representative are Look into their legislative interests and priorities Maybe follow them on twitter, or put their office phone number in your address book

We discuss why it's important not just to vote, but be an informed and confident voter. We also talk about what this podcast is and is not, and what each episode will cover. Homework Your homework this week is to think about why you vote, or why you don't. If you are someone who has never voted, think about what you want to learn that will make you feel like an informed voter If you do vote but you know someone who doesn’t, think about why they don’t and how you could start a conversation to help them feel confident voting