This episode was recorded in Spring 2022. In this episode, Kamryn Yanchick talks to Indigenous student organizers about the process of participating in tribal elections, Indigenous social structures, and the importance of young people's participation in youth councils. They discuss the intimidation factor of speaking to elder councils, honoring tradition, and existing in a social paradigm that doesn't always feel responsive to young people and student voices. How can activity in tribal government differ from a sense of obligation towards non-tribal elections? What trends and forces can be leveraged to encourage greater participation in tribal elections? Students discuss motivations, celebrations, and struggles. Trinity Guido belongs to the Delaware Nation of Oklahoma and also descends from the Caddo, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, and Fort Sill Apache people. Trinity is from Anadarko, Oklahoma but currently resides in Norman, Oklahoma with her husband and their two children. Trinity recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelors in Public and Community Health with a minor in Native American Studies and Pre-Medicine. Trinity was involved in many on-campus organizations and leadership positions while in school. Trinity was affiliated with Gamma Delta Pi, Inc., GEN, AISA, AISES, SACNAS, and Student Congress. Trinity has also served on various tribal leadership boards and committees at her tribe including the Delaware Nation Gaming Commission, Election Committee, Cultural Preservation, and Language department. Her most recent position is serving as a Board Member of the Citizenship Committee. She is also involved as a member of the Lenape Matriarch group. Trinity puts forth her efforts with initiatives that serve tribal communities. She was very excited to be a guest on this podcast to discuss her journey in tribal government and elections. Elwood McClellan, Jr. is a member of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. Mr. McClellan is the Southern Plains Region Representative to the National UNITY Council Executive Committee. Mr. McClellan currently serves as the Chairman of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma's UNITY youth council and has served on the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma's Election Board where his interest in program development derived. This all took place during Mr. McClellan's time at the University of Oklahoma where he recently graduated with his Bachelors in Human Relations. The experiences throughout his life and material that his degree path has provided, he plans to directly apply his studies to Indigenous communities. Some resources to learn more about Indigenous voting and the communities and organizations which engender this activity: University of Oklahoma's Native Nations Center: https://www.ou.edu/nativenationscenter Delaware Nation of Oklahoma: https://www.delawarenation-nsn.gov/  Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma: https://www.bahkhoje.com/  Researching Native Student Voting Habits: https://www.campusvoteproject.org/post/researching-native-student-voting-habits If you're a student and want to join the Student Voting Network, you can join us here: bit.ly/svnslack  If you want to find more resources about student voting in your state, check out Campus Vote Project's nationwide database for voting information: https://www.campusvoteproject.org/  Produced by Kamryn Yanchick and Benjamin Nixon. Music and Editing by Benjamin Nixon.

This is part one of a series exploring Latinidad and Latin/e/x experiences within the United States. This episode explores the diversity of perspectives within what is often referred to as the "Latino Vote", some of the historical context that has shaped Latin/e/x voter perspectives, and why these perspectives matter. Host Oscar Lázaro leads a discussion with student voters from across the country to develop keen insight and analysis into this under-discussed topic. If you're a student and want to join the Student Voting Network, you can join us here: bit.ly/svnslack If you want to find more resources about student voting in your state, check out Campus Vote Project's nationwide database for voting information: https://www.campusvoteproject.org/ Produced by Oscar Lázaro and Benjamin Nixon.  Music by Oscar Lázaro and Intro and Outro by https://er0da.bandcamp.com/music. Editing by Oscar Lázaro.

"Everyone is a political scientist, they just don't know it yet." In this episode, Student Advisory Board Member and Ph.D. candidate Jayme Beasley discusses Georgia's SB202 - no longer a bill but now a law - as well as educational policy, student loan forgiveness, and the anxiety-inducing side effects of political sloganeering with Dr. Tammy Greer, assistant professor of political science at Clark Atlanta University.  If you liked this conversation and want to hear others like it, check out Jayme's podcast entitled "Politics OR Politiking" here on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/politics-or-politiking/id1495884559 If you're a student and want to join the Student Voting Network, you can join us here: bit.ly/svnslack If you want to find more resources about student voting in your state, check out Campus Vote Project's nationwide database for voting information: https://www.campusvoteproject.org/ Produced by Benjamin Nixon, Dr. Tammy Greer, and Jayme Beasley. Music and Editing by Benjamin Nixon.

Episode recorded in Summer 2021 In this episode, Nickolas Bartel moderates a discussion between Campus Vote Project Student Advisory Board Members Sarah Harmon & Benjamin Nixon as well as PittDems' very own India Krug. They look at many different topics including 16-year-olds voting, making Election Day a Federal Holiday, whether the 2020 election was secure (we promise this is the last time we'll rehash it), Act 77 (check out our episode on Act 77, by the way!), global voter turnout rates, and so much more! (The Young Republicans were reached out to by producers but did not respond for participation in this episode.) Produced by Nickolas Bartel, Sarah Harmon, and Benjamin Nixon.  Editing and Music by Benjamin Nixon.

Dr. Greg Williams has done extensive research on the myth of voter fraud, fair elections, strategically placed disinformation obfuscating voter information, and ways to reinvigorate American democracy. That's why we made time to have a chat with him. HR1 - RIP in peace - would have made an effective and demonstrable improvement to the civic lives of citizens. Instead, we got filibustered. What makes a secure election? How do students fit into that calculus? Would lobbyist disclosure be helpful? Maybe student voting protection is a national security issue. Resources and Recommended Readings: Dark Money by Jane Mayer Weaponized Lies: How to Think Critically in the Post-Truth Era by Daniel Levitin DISCLOSE Act: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/senate-must-pass-disclose-act Lobbyist Disclosure Act: https://lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov/lda.html Dr. Williams' Dissertation: https://www.proquest.com/openview/a7c7e6a100d4486e43816d468cafa7ff/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y  Produced by Benjamin Nixon & Greg Williams Some music by Benjamin Nixon, and other Music by Zapsplat.com.

Episode recorded in 2021! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. Nickolas Bartel, Benjamin Nixon, and Sarah Harmon all discuss various policies, legislation, and proposals in the state of PA which would affect the state of voting in the state of Pennsylvania. Dig in for some juicy policy discussions - "We can have a secure and accessible election!" (In this episode, we also find out about Nickolas's side hustle as a forensic document analyst.) Resources:  The Myth of Voter Fraud by Lorraine C. Minnete Bills discussed: PA 2021 House Bills 623, 366, 1270, 621, 853, and 892. Research and programming conducted exclusively by Nickolas Bartel. Production by Benjamin Nixon, Sarah Harmon, and Nickolas Bartel.

Vot-ER (Pronounced "Vote-E-R") Civic Health Fellow Tionya Lawrence, FNP-C, has an insightful and informative conversation with Student Voting Network Alum and MPH Candidate Erika Neal about the importance of voter registration and how contextualizing that process in a health care setting benefits all Americans. In this episode, they look at how easy it is for providers to get involved with Vot-ER's mission and how important it is for health care providers to advocate in civically-minded ways for the communities and patients they serve. Get started on Vot-ER's Webpage: https://vot-er.org/ Civic Health Month: https://www.civichealthmonth.org/ Vot-ER on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vot.er.org/ Vot-ER Civic Health Fellow Tionya Lawrence can be found on Instagram at jazzy_t_np Production, Editing, and Music by Benjamin Nixon.

Recorded in October 2021 - elections discussed in the beginning referred to the judicial elections in November of 2021 in PA. Still looking into Pennsylvania's election from 2020? We sure are! Learn a bit more about the archaic court cases utilized by opponents against Pennsylvania voting rights during the 2020 election. Familiar with Chase v Miller in 1862? Challengers to the mail-in and absentee ballot process sure are. Nick Bartel runs down all the fallacies and inconsistencies in the argument against Pennsylvania's free and fair elections. Echo chambers enter the conversation again. Shut off Newsmax and tune into your local newspaper. The malignant misleading mailer discussed in the episode is hyperlinked here. Here's a Law Blog in PA which covers various legal topics from across the state: https://pa-law-blogs.com/ If you're a student and want to join the Student Voting Network, you can join us here: bit.ly/svnslack If you want to find more resources about student voting in your state, check out Campus Vote Project's nationwide database for voting information: https://www.campusvoteproject.org/ Produced by Nickolas Bartel and Benjamin Nixon. Music and Editing by Benjamin Nixon.

Emma Godel moderates a conversation with students Jenna Greene, Sebastian Canales, Jayme Beasley, Jashaun Hyde, and Raymond Barber. They discuss President Biden's recent speech on ending the filibuster, Democratic and Republican strategy in messaging, where power rests in the halls of governance, racism masquerading as classism, and related topics. Things get spicy in this episode, so we'd advise discretion. Pres. Biden's Speech: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/01/11/remarks-by-president-biden-on-protecting-the-right-to-vote/ Senator Cory Booker's (D-NJ) Speech: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4997583/sen-cory-booker-dont-lecture-jim-crow Senator Dan Sullivan's (R-AK) Speech: https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/speeches/speech-voting-rights-and-the-senate-filibuster-011122 Statement from Arizona Democratic Party Chair Raquel Terán: https://twitter.com/azdemparty/status/1484949959128412161 Full Text, Shelby County v. Holder (2013): https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf Understanding the Shelby County Decision: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/court-cases/shelby-county-v-holder Understanding the Freedom to Vote Act of 2021: https://whenweallvote.org/action/freedom-to-vote-act/ "Give Us the Ballot," by Martin Luther King, Jr.: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/give-us-ballot-address-delivered-prayer-pilgrimage-freedom "Letter from Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr.: https://www.csuchico.edu/iege/_assets/documents/susi-letter-from-birmingham-jail.pdf  Bills to Restrict Voting Rights In Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/sos/Summary_of_Bills_to_Restrict_Voting_Rights_722845_7.pdf Freedom to Vote Act Digital Toolkit (by Declaration for American Democracy): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U1fOQChvRVf8k6S4c9IvQW5ukAp4ad_ZbCETHmHseeY/edit#heading=h.g3wa8zb6d38k "Ballot or the Bullet" by Malcolm X: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html  Produced by Emma Godel and Benjamin Nixon. Music and Editing by Benjamin Nixon.

Campus Vote Project Student Advisory Board Members Gabriella Lewis and Jayme Beasley discuss how Georgia "flipping blue" might be a bit of a misnomer. What if we told you that it was a blueish-purple mirage with a reddish hue? You probably wouldn't be super shocked, but it's important to center the conversation here. They also discuss the jungle primary system in Georgia and analyze the classism intrinsic to Georgia's electoral power structures. Later in the program, Campus Vote Project Democracy Fellows Christina Williams and Crystal Hernandez discuss with moderator Jayme Beasley Georgia's contentious and controversial SB 202. You remember that one, right? It got Coca-Cola cancelled for a few days and drew national indignation. But what is in the legislation and, to use lawyer speech, qui bono? What have HBCU students done to offset sustained attacks on voter organizing in Georgia? Are any parts of the bill helpful for voters? There are shout-outs in this episode to Georgia State Coordinator Ciarra Malone of Campus Vote Project for all of her support of new students entering the voting rights space! If you're a student and want to join the Student Voting Network, you can join us here: bit.ly/svnslack If you want to find more resources about student voting in your state, check out Campus Vote Project's nationwide database for voting information: https://www.campusvoteproject.org/ Produced by Gabriella Lewis, Jayme Beasley and Benjamin Nixon. Music and Editing by Benjamin Nixon.