On the Ballot
On the Ballot
Ballotpedia
Election Administration: How It Works, How It's Changed, and Why It Matters
21 minutes Posted May 27, 2026 at 8:10 am.
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Show notes

On this episode: Running an election is harder than it looks — and it's always been that way. Ballotpedia founder and CEO Leslie Graves joins host Norman Leahy to walk through how elections actually get administered, from the surprisingly murky process of figuring out which district you live in to the chaotic, largely improvised vote that determined whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free state or a slave state. Along the way, they explore the surprisingly recent history of the secret ballot, how party-printed ballots once made your vote visible to everyone around you, the origins of the ballot initiative process, and why states that have it are unlikely to ever give it up.


Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.


*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.