What the hell is Super Tuesday and where does it come from? Why does Iowa vote first? What’s a caucus? Who gets to be a delegate? How to Vote in America is a weekly micro podcast that tries to make sense of our crazy democracy and what seems like a never-ending 2020 election process. In this podcast, we take small bites at big issues to help you understand something most people should, but probably don’t: voting. Hosted by The Takeaway’s Politics Host Amy Walter. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including On the Media, The New Yorker Radio Hour, Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast and Death, Sex & Money.
What’s the Deal with Delegates?
Today’s question: What’s the deal with delegates?
Tune in to this week's "How To Vote In America" episode for delegate math 101.
Music by Hannis Brown and Merritt Jacob.
3/12/2020 • 8 minutes, 10 seconds
Where Did the Primary Process Come From?
Elections are flawed. We’ve seen this time again throughout history.
There’s no such thing as a perfect democracy, but the founding fathers decided a system of government where voters elect officials to represent their interests was the best option. Preventing the unchecked powers of a tyrannical leader was the throughline that underscored their work.
And while 231 years of peacefully transitioning power from one president to the next is often used as a testament to their foresight, there are many facets of politics today that they couldn’t have predicted.
To be counted among the things they couldn’t have predicted is the formation of the two-party system that dominates American politics today. A winner-take-all system that encourages parties to ignore more than half the electorate.
Another thing they couldn’t have predicted is the way parties select candidates to face off in a general election. The primary process is not outlined in the U.S. Constitution and has gone through several iterations since the 18th century. So where exactly did this primary process come from?
Guest: Elaine Kamarck, author of Primary Politics: Everything You Need to Know about How America Nominates Its Presidential Candidates.
Music by Hannis Brown.
3/5/2020 • 8 minutes, 46 seconds
What the Hell Is Super Tuesday?
Come March 3rd, more than 1,300 delegates will be up for grabs. The first episode of How to Vote in America with Amy Walter takes a look at the history of Super Tuesday and how the most influential day in the presidential primary process came to exist.
Guest: Elaine Kamarck, author of Primary Politics: Everything You Need to Know about How America Nominates Its Presidential Candidates.
Music by Hannis Brown.
2/27/2020 • 8 minutes, 26 seconds
How to Vote In America: Trailer
A micro podcast that helps make sense of how elections work in our democracy.
