The Electorette Podcast

Esosa Osa, the founder and CEO of Onyx Impact, an organization that fights the harmful information ecosystems that target Black communities, discusses how misinformation and disinformation campaigns target the Black community and voters. Osa served as the Senior Advisor to Stacey Abrams' gubernatorial campaign, and is the former deputy direction of Fair Fight Action — roles which helped hone her s...

Dr. Jade S. Sasser discusses eco-anxiety, climate guilt, and her new book, "Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question: Deciding Whether to Have Children in an Uncertain Future," as well as, the growing reproductive-resistance movement among young people who've decided to refrain from having children due to the looming climate crisis. From this Episode Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question: Deciding Whet...

Sondra Goldshein, the Executive Director of The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, discusses the organization's election-year ground game focused on electing candidates who support family friendly policies like childcare, elder care, and paid family leave. The organization is investing $40 million dollars to back the reelection campaign of the Biden/Harris administration, as well as, to suppo...

Dr. Venice Haynes, the Senior Director of Research and Community Engagement at United States of Care, an organization focused on building a better health care system by expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare, discusses their recent report which shows positive outcomes, particularly for Black women, when state-level Community Based Organizations (CBOs) are invested in maternal health. F...

Dr. Krystale E. Littlejohn, professor and author of the book "Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics," discusses her latest book, "Fighting Mad: Resisting the End of Roe v. Wade," a collection of 52 essays she edited alongside historian, and author Dr. Rickie Solinger. This incredible collection features essays from some of the most formidable thinkers, leaders, and activ...

Beatriz Lopez, the deputy director of the Immigration Hub, an organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies, discusses the GOP's strategy of using a multi-faceted misinformation machine to fuel anti-immigration sentiment — a fear-based strategy they've invested hundreds of millions of advertising dollars in, that they hope will result in a win at the ballot box. Beatriz Lo...

Betsy Campbell, the Chief Engagement Officer at RESOLVE The National Infertility Association, discusses the immediate, as well as the long term implications of the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that granted personhood status to embryos created during fertility treatments — a decision which effectively banned IVF treatments in the state. Since the ruling, a number of IVF clinics in Alabama have susp...

Cybersecurity expert, Jackie Singh, who worked as a threat analyst on President Biden's campaign, discusses the ways in which Americans are being surveilled, and how the information collected is used to influence us in ways we've yet to fully grasp. We also discuss lax privacy laws, PSYOPS campaigns, and the best way to navigate the cyber landscape during one of the most important election cycles...

Frédérique Irwin, President of the National Women’s History Museum, discusses their current exhibit, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC. The exhibit traces Black feminism in Washington, DC from the turn of the 20th century through the civil rights and on through to Black Power movements of today. Curated by renowned historians Sherie M. Randolph and Kendra T. Field, the exhibition focuse...

Social scientist, and foremost expert on single life, Dr. Bella DePaulo discusses her latest book, Single at Heart: The Power, Freedom, and Heart-Filling Joy of Single Life. In this episode, Dr. DePaulo addresses misconceptions about single life and cites research, studies, and anecdotal evidence to counter longstanding narratives. We also discuss how legislation and policy centers families and co...

New landmark research, by Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Linos and co-authors, indicates that Black women may have worse career outcomes when their teams have a greater share of white colleagues. The research out of the Harvard Kennedy School finds that Black women on white teams are more likely to be labeled as "low performers." Additionally, they are promoted less often, and experience higher...

Amanda Litman, the cofounder of Run for Something, discusses the spate of book bans that have spread through libraries and schools across the country. We talk about who's behind the bans, and how Run for Something is working to counter them. Lastly, what can voters do right now to fight book bans in their local school districts. From this Episode PEN America | Report: "Banned in the USA: State Law...

Rudy Garrett from the Alliance for Youth Action discusses the power of building a political movement that centers a coalition of young, diverse voters and organizers. We also discuss the impact that Gen-Z voters will have on the upcoming election. Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, i...

Essayist and memoirist Leta McCollough Seletzky discusses her father-daughter memoir, "The Kneeling Man: My Father's Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.," which tells the story behind the famous photograph of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on the balcony of Memphis's Lorraine Motel. In the photo, there is a man kneeling over Dr. King holding a...

Christine Senteno, the Cofounder and Executive Director of Advance the Electorate, discusses the importance of the Biden administration's visible support for unions, turning out the vote for Latino, Black, and unmarried women constituencies, and the importance of lived experience in political representation. Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Elector...

Daria Dawson, the Political Director of America Votes, an organization that serves as the coordination hub of the progressive organizing community, discusses energizing voters for the upcoming political cycle by building a culture of strong civic participation, voter engagement and education. Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Revi...

26 million American adults do not have ID—ID they need to get housing, medical care, a bank account, and other life-saving services. Following the 2016 election, Kat Calvin, the founder of Spread the Vote and Co-Founder and CEO of the Project ID Action Fund, set out to do something about it. Kat joins The Electorette to discuss her new book, American Identity in Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Ac...

Women's Equality Day is observed on August 26th in the United States, and commemorates the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Virginia Kase Solomón, the CEO of the League of Women Voters and a lifetime champion of civil rights and social justice, joins The Electorette to discuss the history of the women's suffrage movement, the passage of the 19th Amendmen...

Alejandra Montoya-Boyer, the Director of Policy at Prosperity Now, talks about how we can create long-term economic equity through legislative policy like an expansion of the Child Tax Credit, and a broader investment in Baby Bonds. We also talk about the impact of IRS tax policy, which currently targets much of its enforcement power to the lowest-income families, as auditing the poor is relativel...

Katie Kalvoda of AAPI Victory Alliance discusses what authentic political engagement with the AAPI community looks like as the 2024 election cycle heats up. Hint: It begins with representation. Katie also discusses the nuances of misinformation and disinformation, and the ways in which it divides the AAPI community. Lastly, we discuss the impact of gun violence on the AAPI community. From This Epi...

In their groundbreaking new book MOVING THE NEEDLE: What Tight Labor Markets Do for the Poor, Katherine S. Newman and Elisabeth S. Jacobs explore what happens when jobs are plentiful and workers are hard to come by, showing how very low unemployment boosts wages at the bottom, improves benefits, lengthens job ladders, and pulls the unemployed into a booming job market. From This Episode MOVING THE...

Julie Kohler is a writer, an activist, and host of the podcast, White Picket Fence, and she joins Electorette to explore motherhood as a political force. We discuss the ways in which political narratives that center motherhood can use or manipulative the image of motherhood to advance political agendas. We also discuss the ways in which conservatives have increasingly injected violence into politi...

Author, Jennifer Wright, discusses her riveting new pop history book, MADAME RESTELL: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist. Madam Restell, overlooked feminist hero, was an immigrant living in New York City in the mid 1800s, who rose to fame (or infamy, depending on who's asking) to become the most well-known abortionist in New York,...

Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, the Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center or BISC, discusses how the ballot initiative process, a process by which citizens can propose to create, amend, or repeal state laws, is core to a strong democracy. We also discuss recent attacks on the ballot initiative process and who is behind them. From This Episode Ballot.org (Ballot Initiative Stra...

Kat Calvin, the founder and executive director of Spread The Vote, and Project ID discusses the state of voter ID laws, and addresses the problem of tackling the approximately 26 million eligible voters who are without the necessary ID to vote. We also discuss how the expense and red tape of obtaining ID creates a separate class of citizens, one in which those without ID are often unable to secure...