

On the Ballot
Ballotpedia
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, feel free to send it to us at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on Twitter.
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, feel free to send it to us at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on Twitter.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 7, 2024 • 14min
Ballot measure results
On this episode: Voters in 41 states decided on 146 statewide ballot measures on November 5th, and as of the 7th at 12:00 PM ET, 87 (59.6%) statewide ballot measures were approved, 46 (31.5%) were defeated, and 13 (8.9%) remained uncalled. Ryan Byrne — the head of our ballot measures team — joins the show to share what we know so far, how the major trends played out, and what it might all mean for direct democracy in 2025.
Follow along with our ballot measure coverage here: https://ballotpedia.org/2024_ballot_measure_election_results
Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

Nov 6, 2024 • 14min
State-level results for legislatures, SCOTUS' and more
On this episode: Former president Donald Trump has won the race for the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris conceding earlier this afternoon. Republicans have won control of the Senate, while it still may be some time until we know the outcome of the House. With results rolling in, we take a closer look at what we know about state-level elections thus far, including state legislative chambers, state SCOTUS,’ and more.
(This episode was recorded at 3:30pm ET. Be sure to check out our site for the latest news!)
- Follow along with our updates here: https://ballotpedia.org/Election_results,_2024
- Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

Nov 6, 2024 • 13min
Election night roundup – what we know so far
On this episode: A late night look at the results rolling in for presidential, congressional, state, and local elections, as well ballot measures. (This episode was recorded at 12am ET. Georgia was called for Trump immediately after we concluded recording, and other updates have likely arrived since publishing — so be sure to check out our site for the latest news!)
– Follow along with our updates here: https://ballotpedia.org/Election_results,_2024
– Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

Nov 4, 2024 • 19min
One last look at early voting with Michael McDonald
On this episode: At least 83 million people have voted early in this year's election (78 at the time this episode was recorded). How does that compare to what we saw in 2020? And what can we learn from who’s choosing to vote early this time around?
With less than 24 hours to go(!) until election day, we welcome the University of Florida’s Michael McDonald—one of the country’s foremost experts on early voting—to the show to break down his analysis of early voting, key anecdotes of from swing states, what to make of the Selzer poll out of Iowa, and more.
- Follow along with election results: https://ballotpedia.org/Election_results,_2024
- Check out Michael’s work on early voting at UF’s Election Lab: https://election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2024-early-voting/
- Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.
Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.

Nov 1, 2024 • 18min
Top 15 elections to watch
On this episode: A brief overview of the 15 races we’re watching including races for U.S. Senate, House, governors, other state executives, state supreme court judgeships, and state legislatures. Our editorial department selected these elections based on past election results, unique election-specific circumstances, and election race ratings. The final selections include a mix of federal, state, and local races. Briana Ryan, Ethan Sorell, and Lara Bonatesta of our elections team join the show for a lightning round preview of the races that stick out most to them.
Explore our report here: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Top_15_Elections_to_Watch,_2024
Our full list of the 15 elections we're watching includes:
U.S. Senate election in Michigan
U.S. Senate election in Ohio
California's 13th Congressional District election
New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District election
New York's 17th Congressional District election
Oregon's 5th Congressional District election
Washington's 3rd Congressional District election
New Hampshire gubernatorial election
Attorney General of North Carolina election
Alaska House of Representatives elections
Arizona State Legislature elections
Michigan House of Representatives elections
New Hampshire State Senate elections
Michigan Supreme Court elections
Ohio Supreme Court elections
Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

Oct 31, 2024 • 38min
Top 15 ballot measures to watch
On this episode: Voters in 41 states will decide on 146 statewide ballot measures at the general election on November 5. A few members of our ballot measures team join the show to break down our top 15 to watch across the country, which address issues like abortion, ranked-choice voting, non-citizen voting, criminal justice, wages, and drug-use policies.
Explore our full report here: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Top_15_Ballot_Measures_and_Trends_to_Watch,_2024
Our Top 15 ballot measures to watch next week include:
Florida Amendment 4: Right to Abortion Initiative
Southwestern Swing States, Arizona and Nevada: Right to Abortion Initiatives
Nebraska Initiative 434 and 439: Competing Abortion Initiatives
Amarillo, Texas, and San Francisco, California: Local Abortion Measures
Alaska Ballot Measure 2: Repeal Top-Four RCV Initiative
Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada RCV: Top-Four and Top-Five RCV Initiatives
Arizona Propositions 133 and 140: Competing Electoral Systems Amendments
Washington, D.C. Initiative 83: RCV Initiative
Eight States: Non-Citizen Voting Ban Amendments
Ohio Issue 1: Redistricting Commission Initiative
California Proposition 36: Drug and Theft Crime Penalties Initiative
Florida Amendment 3: Marijuana Legalization Initiative
Washington Initiatives 2066 and 2117: Energy Policy Initiatives
Colorado and Kentucky: School Choice Amendments
Nebraska Referendum 435: Private School Education Scholarships Referendum
Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

Oct 30, 2024 • 16min
How to spot bias in political coverage
On this episode: There might not be anything we take more seriously than our status as one of the leading nonpartisan political outlets in the country. We look out for and identify 25 distinct types of bias when it comes to political coverage — from speech tribe language to cherry-picking favorable sources and parroting the news. Kelly Coyle, who helps lead and craft our approach to bias, joins the show for a little Bias 101 with less than a week to go to the election.
Learn more about how we categorize bias and the 25 distinct types we look out for: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia:How_we_categorize_bias
Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.
Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.

Oct 29, 2024 • 22min
Hear directly from candidates with BP’s Candidate Connection survey
On this episode: Since 2018, more than 15,000 candidates for political office have completed Ballotpedia’s candidate survey. This tool is a wonderful way to help voters learn more about their candidates, and we’ve processed more than 6,000 for this election cycle alone for federal, state and local elections. Four members of our staff who work closely on the survey every year — Sarah Groat, Ken Carbullido, Spencer Richardson, and Sam Wonacott — join the show to share some of their favorite anecdotes about this year’s results and the impact these surveys can have on races big and small.
Learn more about the survey: https://ballotpedia.org/Survey
Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

Oct 28, 2024 • 36min
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 2020 presidential election. They’ve come together this year to help educate voters about the electoral process and share insights from their years of experience. Our Editor-in-Chief Geoff Pallay picks their brains about what administering elections was like in 2020, the challenges we’ll see play out over the next few weeks and months, and how to speak across the aisle when it comes to restoring confidence in our system.
OTB will be coming to you DAILY over the next two weeks! Please follow, like, and share the show to help us reach more listeners like you who are looking for unbiased, fact-heavy coverage of election season.
Check out Kathy’s page on BP: https://ballotpedia.org/Kathy_Boockvar
Check out Kim’s page on BP: https://ballotpedia.org/Kim_Wyman
Learn more about your state’s electoral system here: https://ballotpedia.org/Electoral_systems_by_state
Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.

Oct 24, 2024 • 16min
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 prospective voters get informed and empowered in what promises to be an exciting year of elections.
Leslie and Abby discuss weeding through the abundance of news online, how to identify reliable political information, and share some stories about their first voting experiences.
NOTE: This episode was originally published in April '24.
Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at ontheballot@ballotpedia.org or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.
Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates
*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.