Observations

Matt Davis interviews Russian election expert Ivan Shukshin. Ivan has extensive experience working with election observation initiatives, advocating for transparent and fair electoral processes in Russia. His work focuses on exposing electoral fraud and mobilising public engagement in defending voting rights. Despite the challenges of operating in a restrictive environment, Shukshin continues to b...

"Put your name up on Facebook with the name of your party—Reform UK—and suddenly you’re a jackbooty, brownshirt, swastika-wearing member of the Nazi party.” That's what one contributor said to our research team for this year's local elections. As part of Democracy Volunteers election observation for the 2025 English local elections the team surveyed candidates of all parties to find out their expe...

In this thought-provoking episode, Alex Iszatt explores the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and democracy. Joining us are two powerhouse guests with decades of experience in leadership, communications, and political science. Hilarie Owen, one of the world’s leading experts on leadership and CEO of The Leaders Institute, brings deep insight from her work with global corporation...

Professor Wouter Veenendaal is Professor by Special Appointment in Kingdom from Leiden University in The Netherlands. In today’s episode, Matt Davis interviews him on the upcoming 2025 general election in Suriname. 2025 sees an election in the South American country which was once a Dutch colony. How big is Suriname, what is the population, how do their elections work? All these questions are answ...

Peter Stanyon, chief executive to The Association of Electoral Administrators, is interviewed by Jason McKenna as to how elections are delivered by staff across the country. Peter’s years of experience delivering elections shines a light on the challenges, the stories and just what #dogsatpollingstations means to council staff and voters across the UK.

Lord Hayward is interviewed by Alex Iszatt concerning The 2023 Ballot Secrecy Act which gives greater powers to staff running polling stations to prevent overseeing another person’s vote. Following data collected by Democracy Volunteers, Lord Hayward’s bill received all party support, updating the 1872 Ballot Act, to make it an offence to influence another person’s vote in the polling station. Mem...

US Elections expert David Levine is interviewed by Edd Charlton on President Trump's Executive Order "Preserving And Protecting The Integrity of American Elections" and its impacts on US democracy. They also discuss Congress's SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) and how this effects the way American elections will work in the future. David Levine is a senior fellow at UMD’s Center for...

Johan Norberg is interviewed by Jason McKenna. Norberg is a Swedish author and historian of ideas. He is a senior fellow at the Cato institute. In this interview Norberg assesses the present state of democracy around the world and explains why he still has hope for western democracy. In 2003 Norberg won the Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Stiftung prize along side Otmar Issing and former British Prime...

Alex Iszatt interviews Director of Democracy Volunteers, Dr. John Ault, on the electoral interference in Finland's municipal and county elections, by Russia, held on 13th April 2025.