Midterm Elections and Why They Hurt the President's Party | Politics with Paul #91

Midterm elections are often discussed for how much the sitting president's party suffers losses, but commentary often doesn't showcase why that is. Today's episode dives into the world of midterms, why they often play out differently than presidential election years, what factors are used to predict their results, and what it all means for 2026 elections. Can Republicans buck the historical trend, or will they become another data point in it?

How to Read Ballot Measures | Politics with Paul #90

Ballot measures are the most direct way for voters to impact the political process…but they can be difficult and tedious to comprehend. Here's a guide to help you better understand them. As a critical part of the election cycle, ballot measures cover a massive variety of topics: redistricting, voting systems, campaign contribution laws, government official salaries, healthcare, taxes, and many more. Today's episode of Politics with Paul will teach you how to research these measures, how to make them easier to read, the components to a ballot measure, and some of the political games played with them that you need to watch out for.

A New Way to Nominate Congressional Candidates? w/ Tom Joseph | Politics with Paul #89

What if a Congressional party nomination could become more localized and geared toward all small donors? Primary elections tend to heavily favor the most well-funded and extreme candidates. Many Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike often feel the nominating process is unfair and unrepresentative as a result. But could a new third party's "People's Primary" be the answer to these criticisms? Today's guest on Politics with Paul is Tom Joseph, founder of America's Main Street Party. The AMSP uses the "People's Primary" to select its nominee, using local committees, small donors, and an app to allow citizens to choose the party's nominee. Listen in as Tom discusses the strategy behind this method, why the current candidate nomination process is flawed, and whether this system could expand in use in the future.

Is a Party-less Future Possible in American Politics? w/ Metin Pekin | Politics with Paul #88

Could we see the end of political parties in America in the future? While political parties have existed in this country since the 1790s, they have also often been the target of intense criticism. Despite how much they are lamented and how many voters identify as independents, however, the Democratic and Republican Parties hold the vast majority of elected offices that have partisan elections. But today's guest, Metin Pekin, argues that not only is it necessary to dissolve the party system-- he says it is practical and achievable. Metin is the author of "Breaking Democracy's Chains: Freeing and Fortifying Democracy Against Hidden Capture." Hear his thoughts on how to create a party-less future in American politics, why he believes any number of political parties is a problem, and his responses to criticisms of the idea of no parties.

How Representative is Our Government—And How Should it Be? | Politics with Paul #87

What makes a government representative of the people - and is that what we see in America? Everybody wants a government that not only works for them but also reflects its constituents. There is also a lot of agreement that government falls short of doing so. Yet how people envision that representativeness isn't always the same, and there are a lot of obstacles that hinder government's ability to be representative. Today's episode explores this concept of representation in government. How often should representatives do exactly what the voters want? What kinds of representativeness do different people find important? What are some roadblocks to representation that we need to address. Tune in for the answers to these questions and more.

What Political Civility Really is and Combatting Toxicity w/ Michael Lee | Politics with Paul #86

Do we know what civility in conversation actually looks like? Healthy and grounded discussion is in short supply, especially in politics. Political discussions are often filled with toxic rhetoric and behavior, leading to many instances of verbal and physical violence. But while we know what toxicity looks like, there are some misunderstandings and mistaken beliefs about what civility looks like.  So how do we become more civil? Today's guest, Dr. Michael Lee, dives into this question and more. Dr. Lee is the executive director of the Civility Initiative at the College of Charleston and the host of the "When We Disagree" Podcast. Check out his insights, spanning over multiple decades, on what we get wrong about civility, how to better engage in healthy discussion, and how to make civil dialogue more engaging and fun.

What Do Democrats and Republicans Agree On? More Than You Think | Politics with Paul #85

Republicans and Democrats just can't get along…or can they? Almost all the talk about interparty relations is about how much they bicker, fight, and attack each other. And it's true, there is a lot that divides us. However, there is a surprising amount that both parties actually agree on - they just don't realize it. But it's easy to say that we actually have a lot of common ground - how about some examples? Today's episode will show you why we focus so much on differences between the parties, why we underestimate the level of similarities, some of the contexts through which we can study and showcase commonalities, and why acknowledging these commonalities is key for making progress on our country's most pressing problems.

Blame, "Both Sides-ing," and Whataboutism: When Are These Appropriate? | Politics with Paul #84

In political discussions, blame often gets thrown around. People get accused of "both sides-ing" an issue when they don't take a strong stance. Or accusations of wrongdoing are responded to with, "Yeah, but what about you?!" The vast majority of disputes in politics involve at least one of these rhetorical devices. Oftentimes, these tactics are destructive and unhelpful, making discourse worse. But are there times where blaming, accusing someone of "both sides-ing," or whataboutism are justified? Today's episode explores our penchant for engaging in these tactics, why they regularly happen, why the line for when these are acceptable is hard to draw, and what we should ask ourselves before we use these tactics. Quality discussions, and finding solutions to our most pressing problems, greatly depend on properly addressing these things.

A Project to Revolutionize Holding Government Accountable? w/ Ramon Perez | Politics with Paul #83

Government often feels unaccountable and non-transparent - but it doesn't have to be that way. Imagine an app and platform that not only significantly cuts down on the difficulty and time-consumption of researching bills and how legislators vote on them. It also allows you, the voter, to tell legislators in real-time how you want them to vote, and therefore makes them more accountable to the people. Sound too good to be true? Well, that's what the Digital Democracy Project does, helmed by today's Politics with Paul guest, Ramon Perez. A military veteran, AI consultant, and political reformer, Ramon discusses how DDP, artificial intelligence, regular citizens, and other key projects can make government officials more accountable and transparent than ever before.

It's Election Polling Season - Here's What You Should Know About it | Politics with Paul #82

It's an election year - and that means a lot of fodder about election polls and the "horse race" aspect of polls. It's easy to get caught up in who is "winning" a race, but a lot of the discussion about polls is immersed in misunderstandings about how it works, vested interests in what polls get promoted, and surface-level analysis of public opinion. For as much as people obsess over polls, many of them also love to trash polls as unreliable and even deceptive. Today's episode of Politics in Paul cuts through a lot of that noise, seeking to make polling more accessible and understandable. Listen in to get the real story masked by some of polling's biggest misconceptions, the key ingredients to look for in polling, and why a healthy dose of skepticism (but not distrust) is warranted. Equip yourself to know what is useful polling info and fodder - and what isn't - in the leadup to the 2026 election.

Why Our Ideas for Fixing Politics Aren’t as Easy and Obvious as We Think | Politics with Paul #81

We often think we or like-minded people have all the answers for how to fix politics. Yet we think the solutions are far easier, more obvious, and more foolproof than they actually are. It's a trap that any of us (some people more than others) can fall into. You should be skeptical if someone says, "It's simple, we need to do X." Still, we should encourage people to share their ideas for democracy. We just need to get people to think more critically about their ideas and others they agree with. Today's episode of Politics with Paul dives into this topic, showing the pitfalls of believing our proposed ideas for fixing democracy or policy issues are obvious and foolproof, how to avoid these mistakes in overconfidence, and how to better evaluate ideas to solve our political problems.

How to Mobilize and Motivate Supporters for Your Cause w/ Bert Ralston | Politics with Paul #80

Perhaps the most important component to any campaign is mobilizing and motivating supporters and like-minded people to support your cause. Yet just because you have broad agreement doesn't mean it's simple and easy to galvanize these voters. You need to find out who these people are, craft the right message, the resources to reach them, and the right amount of nudging to come out to vote, among other things. What are the best ways to do that? Today's Politics with Paul guest, Bert Ralston, joined the podcast to share his decades-long insights into that question. Bert has had a long career in voter turnout programs, creating communications strategy, influencing public policy and opinion, authored works, and university lecturing to draw on and imparts much of that wisdom in today's episode. If you're looking to campaign for anything or anyone, check out his insights to level up your political communications game.

Is Potentialism the Key to American Civic Renewal? w/ Daniel Yudkin | Politics with Paul #79

Our civic culture is in precarious state, and toxicity and hyperpolarization threaten to make it even more unhealthy. It's now more critical than ever to renew our commitment to our civic ideals and to each other as Americans. But that's considerably easier said than done. How do we do that? Today's guest, Daniel Yudkin, joins the podcast to showcase what may be the key to revitalizing our civic culture and getting back to more healthy engagement with our political system. As head of the Beacon Project, he and his organization have been developing the concept of "potentialism," which states that everyone has a gift to offer our civic culture, and a right and responsibility to develop and share that gift. Is potentialism the antidote to the poison of hyperpolarization?

How Do We Improve Youth Voter Turnout? w/ Stephanie Houghton | Politics with Paul #78

While voter turnout overall is notoriously low in most American elections, youth voter turnout especially lags noticeably behind older voters, even when there is an uptick in participation. Sometimes, that has led to criticisms of youth citizens as "lazy," "uninformed," "unengaged," or "selfish." But is it really that simple? And do we have to just accept low voter turnout as an unchangeable fact? In today's episode of the Politics with Paul Podcast, election reformer and seasoned political campaigner Stephanie Houghton sits down to discuss the issues facing youth voter turnout and how we can go about solving them. She shares many of her insights including why youth voters seem so disengaged, how we can go about fixing those problems, how youth voters can also help themselves, and the simple yet powerful act of genuine engagement with them.

How to Encourage and Incentivize People to Depolarize w/ Phelosha Collaros (DepolarWise) | Politics with Paul #77

In the discussions about how to depolarize American politics, one critical element often gets lost: How do we convince people that they need to depolarize and to become part of the political bridge-building movement? The need for these things may seem self-evident to those of us working to depolarize the nation, but we have to truly WANT to come together. And that requires not only showing polarized people why they should depolarize but also some self-awareness from bridge-builders in their approach. Today's guest, Phelosha Collaros shares a wealth of insights into how to encourage more effective depolarization efforts, drawing on plenty of research towards more effective depolarization techniques and her own heritage. Her mother and grandparents experienced the Colombian Civil War, "La Violencia," and the conflict holds many valuable lessons for how to address the increasing toxicity in America. If you're trying to level up your game on healing divisions in this country, you don't want to miss this episode.

Can This App Revolutionize Civic Engagement? w/ Claire Shorall (Sway) | Politics with Paul #76

Civic engagement is a difficult endeavor that takes a lot of time, effort, and money. Yet an app called Sway seeks to make it much more accessible, giving any voting group the power to organize and engage constituents on a wide variety of elections and political issues. Could Sway change the game for citizen outreach? One of Sway's co-founders, Claire Shoreall, joined the Politics with Paul Podcast this episode to discuss the ambitious goals for the app. Listen in as Claire discusses the current impacts Sway has had, its plans for the future, and her insights on how to improve civic engagement. If you've been looking for ways to improve your outreach as a candidate, campaigner, consultant, activist, pundit, or concerned citizen, Sway may be one of the solutions you're looking for.

The Problem of Uncontested Elections…and What You Can Do About it | Politics with Paul #75

Uncontested elections - races that only have one candidate - are a considerable problem in American politics. These elections aren't just uncompetitive; there's no competition at all. The choice has already been made before voting. Despite the threats uncontested elections pose to democracy and civic health, however, this issue doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should. But the first step to solving a problem is knowing it exists. Today's episode of Politics with Paul showcases how often we see these uncontested elections, many of the factors that can lead to an uncontested election, reasons why they are a problem for democracy and civic health…and perhaps most importantly, what YOU can do practically to help push back against the frequency of uncontested elections.

Most Common Mistakes and Misunderstandings about Campaigns w/ Alex Patton | Politics with Paul #74

Elections are complicated and difficult, which makes for plenty of mistakes made on the campaign trail from newbies and veterans alike. But it's not just the actual campaigns where mistakes and misunderstandings happen - it occurs with how elections are analyzed and covered, too. Campaigners, candidates, pollsters, media, academics, and citizens all have different perspectives and interests, leading to shortcomings and exacerbating the missteps about campaigning. In today's episode, Alex Patton sits down with me to discuss these mistakes that are made by campaigns and by those seeking to understand campaigns. Alex draws on his long career in political consulting and survey research to spotlight these common errors, including some that he made early on in his career. Whether you're new to the political game, seeking to enter it, or seasoned with experience, his insights will benefit anyone.

Are Campaigns About Mobilization or Persuasion? Why it Matters | Politics with Paul #73

One of the most fundamental questions a political campaign must ask themselves is this: How much are you trying to persuade voters and how much are you trying to mobilize them? Some voters are never going to vote for your side, some voters are always going to vote for your side, some are up for grabs, and some are rarely (or never) going to participate at all. Knowing who is who, and how to appeal to them, is one of the keys to winning elections. There is no clear checklist that tells you how much your campaign must mobilize and how much it must mobilize. You can also have multiple people look at the same exact campaign and give you different answers about how to mobilize and/or persuade. However, today's episode covers many of the electoral factors to consider, how they impact your mobilization and persuasion strategies, and why it's important for you to know - even if you are not involved in politics for a living.

How Federal and State Laws and Legislation are Interpreted: A Crash Course | Politics with Paul #72

Have you ever wondered how to make sense of the text of legislation and laws but you didn't know where to begin, or you felt the task too intimidating or daunting? Then this episode is for you! It's a crash course to introduce you to how legislation is interpreted at the federal and state levels so that is more accessible and understandable. Understanding how laws are interpreted is incredibly important for civic knowledge and the ability of citizens to hold government and political commentators accountable. Today's episode shows how the debates about interpretation have evolved from the very beginnings of US Constitutional debates to the tools used to interpret federal and state statutes - including information pulled from my own webinar I give to civics and public affairs organizations on how to understand legislation for themselves and their clients.