When the People Decide, a podcast from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, explores the promise — and sometimes peril... more
Jenna Spinelle talks with Kelly Hall of The Fairness Project, one of the groups at the forefront of using ballot... more
The final episode of the season explores whether ballot initiatives can withstand the challenges they’re up against, and some groups... more
State legislatures across the country have taken notice of how ballot initiatives are creating political change. And now they're trying... more
By design, ballot initiatives require coalitions that cross party lines to secure the votes needed to win. Some campaign organizers... more
A referendum on the death penalty in Nebraska draws our attention to some of the thornier questions about direct democracy.
An online community of adoptees fight for their birth records in 1990s Oregon - framing the issue around civil rights... more
We travel to what some have described as “the most Southern city in the North” to explore a city-level ballot... more
In the words of one expert, California has “gone crazy for propositions.” In this episode, Jenna Spinelle tells the story... more
Learn about the basics of the ballot initiative, the history of how it caught on in the United States, and... more
From The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, When the People Decide explores the pros and cons of this... more