Politics with Paul

Approachable, nonpartisan, and nonideological analysis of various political topics by nonpartisan political analyst, writer, researcher, and speaker Paul Rader.

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

E77 • Jan 20, 2026 • 65 mins

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.

Key Points

Increasing civic engagement requires making the process of voting and political participation more accessible and less overwhelming for busy individuals.
Sway aims to reduce political polarization by encouraging more moderate and disengaged voters to participate in elections through organized group voting.
Sway's long-term vision includes potentially becoming a global governance platform to address and coordinate action on worldwide issues like climate change and AI regulation.

Claire's Links:

Sway: https://www.sway.co/

Paul's Links:

Download my FREE 5-day educational email course on how to fight polarization: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]

Speakers

Paul Rader

Host • 39%

Claire Shoreall

Guest • 61%

Chapters

0:00	Intro: Sway, Civic Engagement, Claire Shoreall
1:33	Why Claire Got Into Civic Engagement
5:10	Why Co-Found Sway and What Sway Seeks to Do for Civic Engagement
12:22	Why Use Sway Over Other Messaging Platforms?
17:43	Who Can Use Sway, Issues You Can Make Groups About
22:57	What Anonymous Users Can and Can't Do With Sway
26:14	Sway's Influence on Lesser-Known Races, Political Issues
30:28	How Sway Can Cut Through Polarization, Bridge Political Divides
34:55	The Biggest Roadblocks to Civic Engagement
38:44	Is Civic Engagement More Difficult Than it Should Be?
44:50	The Domestic, and Global, Future of Sway and Civic Engagement
48:48	The Impartiality of Sway, How the Whole Political Spectrum Can Use it
55:37	Actionable Tips for Anyone Trying to Improve Civic Engagement
58:53	Random Question: Favorite State You Have NOT Lived In?
1:03:49	Closing and Our Links

Transcript

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