The Context

Free and fair elections are an essential component of democracy. But fair elections face a number of threats in the United States right now. Onerous ID and proof of citizenship requirements exclude millions of legal voters. And lack of legal clarity about the process to certify results creates the risks of post-election chaos. Samantha Tarazi joins host Alex Lovit to discuss these and other threats to American elections. Samantha Tarazi is the cofounder and chief executive officer of Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization securing and expanding the freedom to vote in all 50 states since 2017. Her voting and elections policy expertise has been featured in major national and in-state publications. Previously, as the inaugural chief engagement officer at Everytown for Gun Safety, Sam helped grow Moms Demand Action from a Facebook group into a national network of over 55,000 volunteer leaders working to advance gun safety education and policy. https://votingrightslab.org/ https://tracker.votingrightslab.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transparency is essential to hold democratic governments accountable. That requires preserving documents and making them accessible to the public. Colleen Shogan joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the important role that the National Archives and Records Administration plays in our democracy—and how history shapes national identity. Colleen Shogan served as the 11th Archivist of the United States from 2023 until 2025. She currently serves as the CEO of In Pursuit, a history and civics education initiative from the pro-democracy organization More Perfect. https://www.inpursuit.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’ve gotten a ton of excellent advice from our guests this year about how everyday people can get involved in fighting authoritarianism and encouraging citizen engagement. So, in this year-end lookback episode, we decided to put the top seven suggestions together in one place. Featuring clips from Ece Temelkuran, Jeffrey Winters, Deva Woodly, Maria Stephan, Sharon Davies, Steven Levitsky, and John C. Yang. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Trump administration is trying to restrict who gets to be an American: who can be in the country, who has citizenship, who has the right to vote, and who can access government services. American identity has always been complicated and contested, but this administration is narrowing the scope in dangerous new ways. John C. Yang joins host Alex Lovit to describe how these policies harm all Americans, and especially the Asian American community, which has been uniquely targeted historically and today. And he outlines what his organization is doing to fight back against this administration’s exclusionary policies. John C. Yang is the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which advocates for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and has filed a number of lawsuits against the Trump administration. https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have drawn a lot of media attention. But little of this has focused on how this new technology may affect democracy. Spencer Overton joins host Alex Lovit to discuss how AI may push the United States away from becoming an inclusive, multiracial democracy—or toward it. Spencer Overton is the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law and the director of the Multiracial Democracy Project at George Washington University Law School. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4754903 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5196382 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did right wing voices take over podcasting? Media analyst Angelo Carusone joins host Alex Lovit to discuss how the online media ecosystem came to be dominated by anti-inclusive and authoritarian narratives and what that means for democracy. Angelo Carusone is the president of Media Matters, a nonprofit media watchdog organization. https://www.mediamatters.org/ https://www.mediamatters.org/google/right-dominates-online-media-ecosystem-seeping-sports-comedy-and-other-supposedly https://www.mediamatters.org/tiktok/study-interacting-these-popular-right-leaning-comedy-podcasters-can-turn-your-tiktok-feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nonviolent movements are more effective at combatting authoritarianism than violent resistance, according to research from today’s guest. Maria Stephan joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the implications of her research for the United States in this moment of political upheaval and growing authoritarianism. Maria Stephan is the co-lead and chief organizer of the Horizons Project. She’s written several books, including co-authoring the award-winning Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. https://horizonsproject.us/ https://freedomtrainers.net/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, we bring you an episode of the Disrupting Peace podcast, from the World Peace Foundation. In this episode, host Bridget Conley talks with two guests about how Gen Z Americans are—and aren’t—engaging in democracy and what people of all ages can do to encourage the next generation of peaceful leaders. Find more episodes and subscribe here: https://disrupting-peace.captivate.fm/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Deva Woodly joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the importance of social movements for American democracy and the role they can play at this precarious moment in American political history. We need these networks of trust and coordinated action to push the country away from authoritarianism and toward a democracy that works for everyone. Deva Woodly is a scholar of social movements. She is a professor of political science at Brown University and a research fellow at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.