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Podcast playlist: Votes, votes, votes

Podcast playlist from The Democracy Group, focused on mechanics of voting, voting rights
Stefan Ilic/Gettty Images
Voting by mail, voting from jail, voting as a young person, voting as a woman. The intersection of identity, personal circumstances and voting is a crucial point of discussion in this tumultuous election year. This podcast playlist features episodes that dive into the mechanics of voting, voting rights and ways to make voting more fair and inclusive.

This playlist is part of The Fulcrum's partnership with The Democracy Group, a podcast network at Penn State University. All of its shows are committed to engaging in civil discourse, inspiring civic engagement and exploring the future of our democracy. This list features episodes from 70 Million, Politics in Question, The Science of Politics, Democracy Matters, Democracy Works, Another Way and How Do We Fix It.

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Gerrymandering, California, and a Fight the Democrats Can Only Lose

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks about the “Election Rigging Response Act” at a press conference at the Democracy Center, Japanese American National Museum on August 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Getty Images, Mario Tama

Gerrymandering, California, and a Fight the Democrats Can Only Lose

California Democrats are getting ready for a fight they can’t win. And taxpayers will foot the bill for the privilege.

Governor Gavin Newsom, backed by national party operatives, appears poised to put a statewide gerrymander on the ballot under the banner of “fighting Trump.” The plan? Overturn California’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, redraw congressional maps, and lock in party control well into the next decade.

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Back to School Shopping? Expect Higher Prices, “Invisible” to the Consumer

AI-driven "surveillance pricing" hides the price increases from stressed-out parents.

Getty Images, Isabel Pavia

Back to School Shopping? Expect Higher Prices, “Invisible” to the Consumer

For families with school children, the summer is coming to a close, and it’s time to start thinking about—school shopping! New clothes, shoes, daypacks, and school supplies are topmost of mind, making sure your little Einsteins and Rembrandts are ready to take on the new school year.

But this year, it’s coming with a twist—not only are prices higher in the stores and online, but the price increases are seemingly “invisible” due to deceptive uses of new technologies and what is known as “surveillance pricing.”

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We Were Raised in the Storm: Why Young People Still Don’t Trust Politics – but I Do

"We’ve inherited a political system that often feels like it’s breaking in slow motion. But we’re not here to watch it crumble," shares student and writer Harper Brod.

Getty Images, AJ_Watt

We Were Raised in the Storm: Why Young People Still Don’t Trust Politics – but I Do

We were raised in the middle of a political hurricane.

Our childhoods came with breaking news alerts: lockdowns, impeachments, mass shootings, a pandemic, and presidents tweeting threats in real time. We never saw the so-called “good old days.” We learned early that politics wasn’t some distant, dignified machine—it was messy, volatile, and often cruel.

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