Ballot to Talk About

In the 100th episode of Ballot to Talk About, Sam and Chern take a look at the results from last weekend’s state election in Victoria, Australia. Daniel Andrews has led his Labor Party to a third term in decisive fashion over Matthew Guy’s Liberals and concludes a successful year for the Australian Labor Party across the country. How did Labor manage to pull off such a clear win? Did Labor win thi...

This week’s episode takes a final dive into the results of this year’s US midterm elections as the dust has finally settled. As the party’s come to terms with the results and the divided Congress, Sam and Chern discuss the two party leadership elections and what may lie ahead. Have the Democrats finished in a position that leaves them favoured to retake the House in 2024? What is the legacy of Nan...

This week's episode looks back at elections in Israel and looks ahead to the upcoming state election in Victoria, Australia. In Israel’s fifth election in four years, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party looks set to be leading a Government once again. What led to the collapse of the Bennett/Lapid Government? How did Netanyahu win again? And will this new Government manage to stay the course? In Victo...

This slightly extended episode takes a dive into the results of last week’s US midterm elections, the first electoral test for incumbent President Joe Biden. As the Democrats retain control of the Senate and the Republicans look to be slight favourites to take a narrow majority in the House, Sam and Chern unpack the key races. Was there a national narrative or was this a very localised midterm? Wh...

This week's episode looks back at national election results in both Brazil and Denmark. In Brazil, it took two rounds, but former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro to ensure he will enter 2023 as Brazil’s new leader. What were the demographic and geographic keys to Lula’s success? Why was the race much narrower than polls were originally expec...

This special episode takes a deeper dive into the upcoming US midterms, focussing on the race for the Senate and Governor Mansions around the country. Is the race for the Senate truly a toss up? And what races should we be paying close attention to? On the Governor side, can the Democrats hold onto the Mansions they flipped in 2018? And are the races being motivated by state factors or simply foll...

This week's episode looks back at the last week in British politics which has resulted in Rishi Sunak replacing Liz Truss as Prime Minister. It also looks ahead to the upcoming midterms in the United States, focussing on the House of Representatives. After just 50 days, Liz Truss has left Office and has been replaced by her former leadership rival Rishi Sunak. What led to her downfall? How did the...

This week's episode looks back the results from two elections last weekend – the state election in Quebec and the General Election in Latvia. In Quebec, Francois Legault’s Coalition Avenir Quebec has won a second majority, increasing their seat count in the National Assembly. How did his party achieve such a dominant victory? What next for the Liberals and Parti Quebecois after a disappointing nig...

This week's episode looks back at the results from last weekend’s snap General Election in Italy which has likely resulted in their first female Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. As Italy prepares for a new right-wing government, Sam and Chern discuss the dynamics of the race and the performance of the main blocs. How were the right able to dominate the election in both Chambers? What demographics p...

This week's episode looks ahead to two upcoming elections in the Americas – the National Assembly election in the Canadian state of Quebec, and the General Election in Brazil. In Quebec, Francois Legault is heading for a second term of majority Government for his Coalition Avenir Quebec party. What has been the key to the party’s rapid rise prior to 2018 and stability since? Why have the Liberals...

This week's episode dissects the results of last weekend’s Swedish General Election and looks ahead to the upcoming parliamentary election in Latvia. In Sweden, Magdalena Andersson has resigned as Prime Minister and it is expected that a new centre-right Government will be forming after their narrow win. What will the eventual government look like, and will the Swedish Democrats be a formal part o...

This week's episode examines Liz Truss’s election as Conservative Party leader and her new Cabinet, as well as previewing the upcoming the Italian General Election. As the UK mourns the loss of Her Majesty the Queen, they are also experiencing the first week of the Liz Truss premiership after she defeated former Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Who are some of the notable Cabinet appointments? What do the...

This week's episode looks ahead to this weekend’s Swedish General Election where Magdalena Andersson is hoping to lead her Social Democratic Party to a third term. Sam and Chern assess the chances and campaigns of each of the major parties and discuss what form the eventual government may take after the results come in. Has Andersson been able to revive the fortunes of the once-dominant Social Dem...

This week's episode looks at the ongoing political crisis in Sri Lanka, and takes a closer look at how the race to replace Boris Johnson as UK Prime Minister has unfolded. In Sri Lanka, Gotobaya Rajapaska has resigned but the political and economic unrest continues. Can Ranil Wickremesinghe restore trust in the political system and begin to solve their economic woes? What were the origins of these...

This week's very special face-to-face episode looks back at last weekend’s Upper House elections in Japan and the downfall of Boris Johnson ahead of his pending resignation as Prime Minister. In Japan, amidst the fallout from Shinzo Abe’s assassination, Fumio Kishida’s LDP and allies now hold super majorities in both houses. Was the assassination a major factor in explaining Kishida’s big triumph?...

This week's episode turns Sam and Chern’s attention to the United States, reviewing the 2021-22 term of the Supreme Court and taking an early look at this year’s midterms. As a seismic and consequential term for the Supreme Court comes to an end, this episode discusses the trends of the decisions and the behaviour of the justices. What are the standout rulings? Is it a surprise that the conservati...

This week's episode looks back at two European election results – the French legislative assembly and the state election in the Spanish region of Andalusia. Juan Manuel Moreno and his Andalusian Peoples Party won a stunning majority and topped the polls for only the second time. How did the centre-right win in this traditionally leftist region? And now after three consecutive regional disappointme...

This week's episode looks at the new frontbenches in Australia as Albanese’s Cabinet is sworn in, and Peter Dutton begins his tenure as the leader of the Liberal Party. Sam and Chern dissect appointments and look into what portfolios suggest about the policy focus of the two parties. Were there any surprises in Albanese’s Cabinet? Will they regret their selection mistakes in Fowler after they lost...

This week's episode primarily dives into the election results in Canada’s most populous province Ontario, as Doug Ford has led his Progressive Conservative Party to a second consecutive majority in Queens Park. It also features a dissection of the first round of Colombia’s presidential election. As Gustavo Petro and Rudolfo Hernandez prepare to face each other in the second round, who is better po...

This week's episode looks back at the results of last weekend’s Australian federal election where Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party has unseated the incumbent government led by Scott Morrison. As Labor celebrate their first election win since 2007, Sam and Chern dissect where the victory came from and whether it truly is a cause for triumphant celebration for the party. What were the ingredients to L...

This week's episode looks back at results from two German state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein which have both been convincingly won by the CDU. In Schleswig-Holstein, Merkel’s old party fell just one seat short of an overall majority and they are in pole position to form a centre-right Government in Germany’s most populous state as well. Sam and Chern dissect the resul...

This week's episode looks ahead to next week’s Australian federal election where Scott Morrison is hoping to take the Coalition into a fourth term and a decade in power. After the 2019 shock result, Anthony Albanese is hoping that his Labor Party’s polling lead can be reflected in the eventual result. Sam and Chern assess the chances of each party, the seats to watch, and the potential impact of t...

This week's episode looks back at results from across the UK, at both local elections in England, Scotland and Wales, and the Assembly election in Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein have topped the polls and seat count, becoming the first nationalist party to do so in Northern Ireland’s history but doubts remain over whether a new executive can be formed. Why was Sinn Fein able to do...

This week's slightly extended episode looks both back at results from two elections in Europe last weekend – parliamentary elections in Slovenia and the second round of France’s presidential election. In Slovenia, Robert Golob’s Freedom Movement pulled off an astonishing victory, winning the highest seat total since the country’s independence. How did the party win an election, despite only formin...

This week's episode looks back at the results from the first round of the French Presidential election which will see Emmanuel Macron face Marine Le Pen for the presidency for the second consecutive election. It also features a breakdown of the recent constitutional crisis in Pakistan which resulted in Imran Khan’s ousting as Prime Minister. Why did he lose the support of coalition allies? And wil...