Podcast

Welcome to Season 2 of the New Faces of Democracy podcast, hosted by Nancy Bynum. In this season, Nancy will look back at the gains we have made in protecting our democracy, the healing and rebuilding that needs to take place, and an optimistic look ahead at the opportunities for real progress under the Biden administration. Join Nancy for inspiring conversations with people at the grassroots and the grasstops who are making this all happen, political newcomers and policy leaders alike, all of whom share a common goal of bringing us closer to a more perfect union and the America that…

This episode features a conversation with Martha Shockey of the grassroots political action group, Indivisible Georgia. A soft-spoken powerhouse, Martha talks about all the hard work that groups like hers put into Biden’s win in the state and what they are doing for the two Senate runoffs on January 5. Martha and Nancy discuss the tremendous hurdles created by Republican’s voter suppression tactics executed with surgical precision; how she and others are working to rebuild the Democratic infrastructure in a state that national Democrats had written off; and why it’s important for all of us to do what we can…

On this episode, Nancy welcomes Catherine Vaughan back to New Faces of Democracy. Catherine is Co-Executive Director of the Democratic political action group, Swing Left, and she was one of the first people Nancy profiled at New Faces of Democracy in 2018. Catherine and Nancy do an election debrief and discuss lessons learned this year. Catherine talks about all the progress we have made over the last four years and the work that remains, making democracy a habit, and reasons to be hopeful. She also tells us the most impactful ways we can help in the upcoming Georgia Senate runoff, no matter…

Nancy follows up on her conversation about sheriffs with Max Rose on Episode 13 of the podcast to explore what happened in the sheriff elections last month.

This episode features a conversation with data and analytics expert and political polling thought leader Mike Berland. Mike is the founder & CEO of research, data, and analytics firm Decode M and is an expert on how people think and behave as voters and decision-makers. Mike has appeared extensively on national television to speak about elections, candidates, and business issues. He has served as a strategic advisor to politicians like Michael Bloomberg and Hillary Clinton, and MSNBC has called him a “genius pollster.” Mike also recently authored the book “Maximum Momentum.” Mike and I talk about how polls should really…

This week features a guest episode from Democracy Works, a podcast dedicated to answering the question “What Does it Mean to Live in a Democracy?". Each week, the podcast examines a different aspect of democratic life, like voting, criminal justice or the free press. Produced by The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, Democracy Works showcases some of the finest academic minds studying these issues today. Like New Faces of Democracy, Democracy Works is focused on the role each of us can play in building and sustaining a healthy democracy. This episode features a fascinating discussion with Robert Lieberman, professor…

This episode features a conversation with Marcia Greenberger, a true pioneer of women’s rights law through her work at the National Women’s Law Center in Washington DC. Marcia and Nancy speak about the early days of women’s rights law, the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the path ahead for advancing women’s equality under the law. In the wake of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death, Marcia tells us what tools we still have at our disposal to keep up the fight and gives us hope for the future. 

This week’s episode goes local with Gordon Herr, Chairman of the Democratic Committee in Southampton NY, and member of the Board of Elections in Suffolk County, Long Island. Gordon demystifies the voting process for us and will put your mind at ease about voting during a pandemic in this most crucial of elections by telling us everything we need to know about absentee ballots, early voting and more. New Yorkers, this one’s for you, but there’s plenty for others too as Gordon and Nancy talk about standardizing the voting process at the federal level, why to get involved in your…

This episode features a conversation with Jessica Alter and Krisserin Canary of Tech for Campaigns. After Trump’s Muslim ban in 2017, tech entrepreneur Jessica Alter couldn’t take it anymore and asked a few of her fellow tech workers if they were interested in volunteering their skills to help Democratic campaigns, and Tech for Campaigns was born. Tech for campaigns is now the permanent tech and digital arm for Democrats, offering access to best-in-class talent with their 15,000 volunteers focusing on state races. Jessica and Krisserin, a state director in charge of flipping the Texas State House, talk to Nancy about…

This episode features a conversation with Ravi Gupta, an Obama alum, podcast host and founder of Arena, an organization that trains and supports the next generation of Democratic candidates and campaign staff. After working on Obama’s campaign and then administration, Ravi stepped away to start a network of schools in the south but jumped back into political action immediately after the 2016 election. At Arena, Ravi uses his political expertise to identify and support transformative new candidates outside of the traditional political establishment who reflect the diversity of our society. Then he does everything possible to help them win at…