Shows / On the Ballot
On the Ballot
On the Ballot with Ballotpedia connects people to politics by providing neutral, nonpartisan, and reliable information on our government, how it works, and where it’s headed. This year, we're hoping to learn more about what our audience and what topics you want us to tackle. Complete a brief 5 minute survey to review the show and share some feedback: https://forms.gle/zPxYSog5civyvEKX6 Stream On the Ballot wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have any questions, comments, or love for BP…
Episodes
- On the Ballot
Two former Secretaries of State on the challenges of election administration
On this episode: Democrat Kathy Boockvar and Republican Kim Wyman each served as secretary of state in Pennsylvania and Washington, respectively, during the…
- On the Ballot
Ballotpedia founder Leslie Graves on engaging young voters
On this episode: Ballotpedia founder and CEO Leslie Graves joins our social media manager Abby Campbell for a chat about how Ballotpedia can help young…
- On the Ballot
Are ballot measures getting less or more complicated?
On this episode: Our annual Ballot Measure Readability report explores the complexity of statewide ballot measure titles and summaries to determine the…
- On the Ballot
Shortlist of tight Senate races w/ The Cook Political Report
On this episode: 34 of the 100 Senate seats are up for election in just a few weeks, with control of the upper chamber of congress bound to come down to just a…
- On the Ballot
The closest House races w/ The Cook Political Report
On this episode: All 435 seats of the House or Representatives are up for grabs this election season. Here at Ballotpedia, we’re tracking 53 of those as…
- On the Ballot
How abortion politics could impact the tightest races
On this episode: With a record 11 abortion related measures on the ballot in 10 states, we can expect one of the nation’s most divisive issues to linger in…
- On the Ballot
Bans on noncitizen voting coming to 8 more states?
On this episode: Bans on noncitizen voting at the state level have become more frequent since 2018, and this year, there are a record number of ballot measures…
- On the Ballot
RCV's record year at the ballot box
On this episode: Few voting methods have gained as much traction and been in the spotlight these last few years as Ranked Choice Voting, commonly known as RCV…
- On the Ballot
Vance-Walz debate recap
On this episode: Last night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance took to the stage in New York for the first and only scheduled vice…
- On the Ballot
11 Governor's mansions up for grabs, with a toss-up in NH and tight contest in NC
On this episode: 11 Gubernatorial elections on the ballot this November – in Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota…
- On the Ballot
How competitive are state legislatures this year?
On this episode: A complete breakdown of our 14th Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report, which analyzes all 5,807 state legislative seats that are up…
- On the Ballot
Swing state presidential polling update with Split Ticket
NOTE: This episode was recorded on Friday, September 20th, BEFORE polling on Monday, September 23rd indicated a bump for former President Donald Trump in the…
- On the Ballot
Marijuana ballot measures and the prospect of federally rescheduling the drug
On this episode: We’re set to see marijuana pop up in some way or another on ballots across the country this November, with potentially seven marijuana-related…
- On the Ballot
How BP's Voter Toolkit can help you prep to vote this Fall
On this episode: Ballotpedia’s communication’s team takes over the podcast for a walkthrough of our Voter Toolkit to help get ready to vote this November…
- On the Ballot
Trump v Harris debate recap
On this episode: Last night, Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump took to the stage at the National Constitution Center in…
- On the Ballot
Introducing OTB's new host – Geoff Pallay!
On this episode: Our Editor-in-Chief is set to lead On the Ballot through what promises to be an action-packed election season. Joined by our longtime…
- On the Ballot
Today’s SCOTUS activity in a historical context
On this episode: Dr. Adam Feldman–a scholar on the Supreme Court, who runs the Empirical SCOTUS blog–joins to break down the recent term and what he’s looking…
- On the Ballot
Nine abortion ballot measures nationwide and counting
On this episode: Voters in nine states—Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New York, Nevada, and South Dakota—will decide on…
- On the Ballot
A Democratic pollster's perspective on the DNC
On this episode: Day two at the Democratic National Convention is well underway, with former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama set to…
- On the Ballot
School cell phone bans – what NYC's policy might look like
On this episode: New York City–home to the nation's largest public school district–is planning to ban cell phones in classrooms across all of its roughly…
- On the Ballot
Walz wins the Veepstakes
On this episode: Many observers of national politics might not have known much about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) before his ascendence over the last few…
- On the Ballot
Texas ballot measures: A brief history
On this episode: Texans have decided on 708 ballot measures in the nearly 150 years since the state adopted its constitution. Five hundred twenty-eight (528)…
- On the Ballot
A record year for recalls
On this episode: The first six months of 2024 have already seen the most recall attempts, and successful recalls of politicians, at this point in the year in…
- On the Ballot
Trifectas to watch this November
On this episode: According to BP's annual trifecta vulnerability ratings, eleven state government trifectas are vulnerable in the 2024 elections. Democrats are…
- On the Ballot
How RFK Jr. and third parties will impact the ’24 presidential race
On this episode: The assassination attempt on Donald Trump and President Joe Biden dropping out of the race for the White House–two history-shattering events…
- On the Ballot
What happens now? Biden drops out of '24 presidential race
On this episode: President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election this afternoon, July 21st. A president-elect has never withdrawn, died, or…
- On the Ballot
Kyle Kondik on Vance's impact + Biden's prospects
On this episode: Kyle Kondik–the managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics–joins the show to discuss the…
- On the Ballot
Election/Voting Legislation – Mid-Year Report
On this episode: An in-depth walkthrough of our mid-year report on election administration legislation. Ballotpedia has tracked 3,735 election-related bills in…
- On the Ballot
Chevron Deference, Overruled
On this Episode: On Friday, SCOTUS overruled the legal doctrine known as Chevron Deference in a 6-3 decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts. For almost…
- On the Ballot
Sen. Nguyen on WA’s A.I. Task Force – Tracking Deepfake Legislation (Part 1)
On this episode: A conversation with Joe Nguyen, a Democratic member of the Washington State Senate, representing District 34. Senator Nguyen sponsored WA SB…
- On the Ballot
Rep. Hasenbeck on strengthening OK A.I. policy - Tracking Deepfake Legislation (Part 2)
On this episode: A conversation with Toni Hasenbeck, a Republican member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, representing District 65. Representative…
- On the Ballot
Personal data and the privacy gaps of political campaigns
On this episode: Unlike for-profit organizations, campaigns are considered nonprofits and are, as a result, not as heavily scrutinized when it comes to privacy…
- On the Ballot
Age limits for elected officials? North Dakota's potential test case
On this episode: Earlier this week, voters in North Dakota approved a ballot measure that will establish age limits for the US Senate or US House of…
- On the Ballot
BP’s Administrative State Legislation Tracker
On this episode: Introducing our new tool! The first nationwide resource for state-level administrative state bill tracking, our brand new tracker provides a…
- On the Ballot
This year’s trending ballot measures
On this episode: As of May 23, 110 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the ballot in 35 states for elections this year. In even-numbered years…
- On the Ballot
ESG Policy Trends in State Legislatures
On this episode: As state legislative sessions begin to wrap up around the country, Ballotpedia has tracked roughly 20 enacted bills related to Environmental…
- On the Ballot
STAR voting coming to Eugene, OR?
On this episode: On May 21st, voters in Eugene, Oregon, will decide whether or not to replace the existing electoral system with STAR voting for Mayor and City…
- On the Ballot
Uncontested Elections: Rural Wisconsin as a Case Study
On this episode: An interview with Sophia Voight, a political reporter for The Appleton Post-Crescent, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK in Wisconsin. We came…
- On the Ballot
Lubbock to Decriminalize Marijuana? A Preemption Conflict in Texas
On this episode: This weekend on Saturday, May 4th, Lubbock is looking to become the 6th city or locality in Texas to try and decriminalize the possession of a…
- On the Ballot
MIT reports a decade’s progress in election admin across US
On this episode: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) just released its biennial update of the Elections Performance Index (E.P.I.) for 2022, and…
- On the Ballot
The REINS Act, Explained
On this episode: The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act–more commonly referred to by its acronym, the REINS Act–is a bill that could cause…
- On the Ballot
How enrollment zones impact who goes to what public school
On this episode: Most public school K-12 students in the U.S. attend a school based primarily on their residential address–and that dividing line can often…
- On the Ballot
BP CEO Leslie Graves on engaging young voters
On this episode: For the 100th episode of On the Ballot(!!), Ballotpedia founder and CEO Leslie Graves joins our social media manager Abby Campbell for a chat…
- On the Ballot
Nathan Gonzales on the House's 10 toss-up races
On this special video episode: All 435 House seats are up for grabs this year, but, as is often the case, the balance of power will come down to around a dozen…
- On the Ballot
Chaz Nuttycombe on forecasting this Fall's battleground races
On this episode: The co-founder and director of the election forecasting website CNalysis joins the show to take a look ahead at some of the most competitive…
- On the Ballot
'Zuck Bucks' and the debate over private funding of elections
On this episode: 27 states now have some form of legislation banning or restricting the private funding of election administration. Will we see that trend…
- On the Ballot
Which governor’s races are the most competitive this year?
On this episode: 11 gubernatorial offices on the ballot in 2024–Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah…
- On the Ballot
Wake up...it's Super Tuesday!!!!
On this episode: Sixteen states and one U.S. Territory will head to the polls on what will be the most consequential day yet this year in politics–not just in…
- On the Ballot
A closer look at California's ballot measure landscape
On this episode: BP’s Ryan Byrne returns for a broader look at the 11 statewide ballot propositions that have qualified for the ballot in California for…
- On the Ballot
California's unique use of parcel taxes
On this episode: Property taxes are used to fund all sorts of different municipal services. In California, local jurisdictions use parcel taxes–which are a…
- On the Ballot
Evolving work requirements for Medicaid and other public assistance programs nationwide
On this episode: Many public assistance programs in the United States have long required some form of work requirement in order to access benefits – and…
- On the Ballot
'24 primaries for Texas House Republicans are the most competitive in a decade
On episode #089: Fifty-nine Republican primaries for seats in the Texas House of Representatives will take place on March 5th– the most contested Republican…
- On the Ballot
Chevron Deference, Explained
On this episode: Last month on January 17th, SCOTUS heard oral arguments in a cases that deals with the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS)…
- On the Ballot
Which races could flip the House of Representatives?
On this episode: Analyst Erin Covey–who covers the US House of Representatives for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter–joins our Host Victoria Rose to…
- On the Ballot
A.I. regulation at the state level
On this episode: As Congress debates the best way to approach Artificial Intelligence, states are leading the charge, passing their own bills and cooperating…
- On the Ballot
What’s next in the race for the White House?
On this episode: After former President Trump’s strong showing at the Republican presidential caucus in Iowa last week and in New Hampshire’s primary this past…
- On the Ballot
Police Collective Bargaining Agreement’s (CBA) around the country
On this episode: An in-depth look at our new tool–how it works, some of the big picture data, and why we set out to create it. Stream "On the Ballot" on…
- On the Ballot
'23 was a big year for political recalls
On this episode: Recall expert Josh Spivak joins Host Victoria Rose to take a look back at what turned out to be an eventful year for political recalls…
- On the Ballot
Which Congressional incumbents aren't running for reelection this year?
On this episode: A quick look at the 45 members of Congress—seven members of the U.S. Senate and 38 members of the U.S. House—who have announced they will not…
- On the Ballot
Kicking Off BP's Election Year Coverage
On this episode: Our host Victoria Rose sits down with Editor-in-Chief Geoff Pallay to preview what you can expect from Ballotpedia in 2024. Stream "On the…