Trust is the foundation for democracy; without it, people don't willingly engage with government policy. Our guest today is Jennifer McGuirk who keeps government agencies accountable. Jennifer is Multnomah County’s Auditor which means that she

Kathleen Saadat: Velvet and Steel

Mar 22nd, 2021 30m 49s

Kathleen Saadat has been called the conscience of Portland, Oregon. Here, Saadat talks about organizing Portland’s first gay pride parade, as well as the campaign to beat Measure 9 in 1992, a homophobic amendment to the Oregon Constitution. Kat

Training Democratic women to run for office…and win

Mar 8th, 2021 25m 33s

Women makeup 51% of the US population and yet account for only 24% of the Senate and 27% of the House of Representatives. How can women start to change that landscape? Jillian Schoene, Emerge Oregon’s departing Executive Director, joins us to d

Leigh Chapman: Fighting for The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and more

Feb 15th, 2021 29m 20s

While the 2020 Presidential Election saw an unprecedented voter turnout, the fight to end voter suppression and discrimination rages on. We’re joined by Leigh Chapman, Senior Director of the Voting Rights Program at The Leadership Conference o

The Power of the Native American Vote

Feb 8th, 2021 37m 18s

Attorney Molly Washington discusses the Native American vote with Amanda WhiteEagle and journalist, Anna V. Smith who covers indigenous affairs for High Country News. In 2020 WhiteEagle ran to represent District 92 in the Wisconsin State Assem

Hidden history & the suffragist movement

Jan 11th, 2021 29m 41s

Mary Beatty should be a well-known figure in women's history: she was one of the first Black women (west of the Mississippi) to publicly advocate for woman suffrage. Decades before women won the right to vote, Mary Beatty and 3 other white wome

The triumph of the 2020 election. what we learned. Myrna Pérez.

Jan 4th, 2021 19m 45s

Despite significant obstacles, the US had the highest voter turnout since 1908. How did it happen? Myrna Pérez, director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program, joined us to discuss what we accomplished in the 2020 election

What is the Latinx vote?

Dec 28th, 2020 30m 39s

Is there even such a thing as the Latinx vote? It’s not the monolith some may think. So says Jessica Vega Pederson, Commissioner for Multnomah County, Oregon and the state’s first Latina House Representative. In this episode, Jessica touches o

Voter security: Peter Miller

Nov 2nd, 2020 26m 30s

Vote-by-mail, elections, and voting in general have been on everyone’s mind these days, which is why we spoke to an expert, Dr. Peter Miller. Miller is a social scientist at The Brennan Center for Justice, which is a non-partisan law and policy

Why representation matters: Albert Lee

Nov 2nd, 2020 26m 5s

Albert Lee was born in South Korea to an African-American soldier father and a Korean mother. When he was five years old; he moved to the states. He grew up working-class. His background drove him to public service: In 2020 he ran for Congress

Dr. Willie Jolley: Vote like your life depends on it

Oct 30th, 2020 6m 2s

“Vote Like Your Life Depends on It!” is a short, emotional sermon to vote by the inimitable Dr. Willie Jolley, a best-selling author, media personality and motivational speaker. This is a departure from our typical guests, but we were blown awa

Nevertheless, they persisted: Why women’s voting history matters now

Oct 28th, 2020 15m 19s

One hundred years ago, women won the right to vote—but even as the 19th Amendment passed to grant universal suffrage, many were left out. One century on, and the fight for suffrage is far from over. In this episode, Lori Erickson, Curator of E

Barriers to voting in the black community: Dr. Yvette Alex-Assensoh

Oct 26th, 2020 24m 1s

“There are populations and segments of populations that don’t vote because they are disengaged, they are demobilized, and don’t really understand the important impact one vote can make,” said Dr. Yvette Alex-Assensoh. “But when you look at the

A-list political operatives on getting out the vote

Oct 23rd, 2020 27m 14s

“The best message to get people to vote is the parade effect. Hey, everybody's voting! Your neighborhood is going to have incredible turnout,” said Kevin Looper, one of two guests on this episode along with Dan Lavey. Looper and Lavey are A-lis

Elaine Weiss: What can we learn from history?

Oct 21st, 2020 28m 47s

“The contributions of thousands of black women are being discovered. It’s not just Ida B Wells, it’s not just Mary Church Terrell — it’s women in every city, in every state,” said Elaine Weiss in our interview. Weiss is the author of, “The Wome

Fighting for voting rights: professor & lawyer Gilda Daniels

Oct 19th, 2020 36m 46s

Professor Gilda Daniels is a nationally recognized voting rights and election law expert and a hero among attorneys, see her full bio here. We were lucky enough to speak to her 72 hours after she showcased some of those heroics. On October 13t

Civic engagement & the babysitter solution

Oct 16th, 2020 21m 56s

Everyday working parents face all kinds of roadblocks when they set out to participate in civic life. Childcare is expensive, making any kind of impactful and sustained civic engagement, including voting, difficult for parents.Our guest for thi

Election law, security, and the impacts of Covid 19: Ben Hovland, Chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Oct 14th, 2020 25m 27s

Are all states ready for election day? What's the deal after November 3rd? How will Covid 19 affect our elections? Election expert Ben Hovland gives us all the answers.Hovland is the current Chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Next generation of voters & leaders: Samantha Gladu

Oct 12th, 2020 25m 30s

Lowering the voting age to16 and restoring voting rights for Oregonians in prison are just a couple getting-the-youth-vote-counted ideas that, Samantha Gladu, executive director of Next Up, proposes in our premiere episode of Voting Now: Turnin

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Introducing Voting Now

Sep 27th, 2020 1m 58s

This year marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States. As we have seen over the past century and in even in recent months, many battles have been and remain to be fought to guarantee full and equitable access to the ba

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