Politics with Paul
Politics with Paul
Approachable, nonpartisan, and nonideological analysis of various political topics by nonpartisan political analyst, writer, researcher, and speaker Paul Rader.
Paul Rader
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Politics with Paul #31: US Voting Policy Reforms Part 1 - The Voting Process

E32 • Mar 18, 2025 • 34 mins

There's a lot that we take for granted about how voting works in US elections these days, but there has been a lot of trial and error over time in administering them. Significant changes in how voting works have occurred over the 235+ years since the US Constitution was ratified. This series takes a look at many of the changes in US voting policy. Today's episode covers how the voting process has been refined over time: WHEN we vote, WHO we vote for, and HOW our vote is counted. This includes how we came to decide when Election Day is held, the changes in which officials have been directly elected and appointed, and the technology improvements in counting votes. Some of the ways elections were administered in the olden days are bizarre to think about from today's point of the view.

Key Points

  • Changes in when we vote include defining a specific day as Election Day for president, aligning congressional elections with the presidential election, and certain states shifting to odd-year elections.
  • Changes in who we vote for include the selection of vice presidents, the direct election of US Senators, and changes in how certain states choose governors.
  • Changes in how we vote include the development of paper ballots, codifying in law who can distribute ballots, and the iterations of the secret ballot.
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