New Faces of Democracy – Details, episodes & analysis

This episode features a conversation with Dana Castner, founder of Choice Tracker, a new and important tool in the fight for reproductive freedom. When the Supreme Court ruled in June 2022  that abortion laws must be decided by the states, that put a lot of power in the hands of our state legislators, many of whom we had never heard of, let alone knew their stances on abortion. That’s what Dana discovered and led her to start the all-volunteer group Choice Tracker just two weeks after the Dobbs decision. Nancy and Dana discuss the value in providing voters all the available information on their state representatives in one place; what actions people can take both in election cycles and off years; and why constitutional abortion protections are not enough to save us on their own. Listen to the end if you want to know how to bring Choice Tracker to your state and other ways you can help now, not just right before the next election.

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• Stay up to date on New Faces of Democracy by signing up for the newsletter here. 
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This episode features a conversation with activist Jess Craven of Chop Wood Carry Water. With close to half a million followers on TikTok and 53,000 subscribers to her substack, Jess is a fierce and passionate warrior for democracy. On this episode, Jess shares with Nancy her view of what it means to be an activist at this time full of so many unknowns, how to find hope through action, some of her favorite organizations right now, and so much more. Tune in for a dose of sanity and humanity, and you will leave both calmed and energized for whatever it is that lies ahead.

Thank you for being a listener!

• Stay up to date on New Faces of Democracy by signing up for the newsletter here.
• If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us an email at info@newfacesofdemocracy.org.
• If you like this podcast, please subscribe/rate/review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. It makes a huge difference!

This episode features a conversation with Jocelyn Bucaro of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Mobile Voting Project. Could mobile voting save democracy? Jocelyn and Nancy speak about how it’s already being used in many jurisdictions in the US and around the world; creating public trust in the technology; and how it has the potential to transform our hyper partisan political landscape and help our democracy work better for us all. For more information, go to the Mobile Voting Project website where you can also sign up to volunteer or follow them on social media.

This episode features a conversation with Ramon Perez of the Digital Democracy Project. Imagine a world where you have the same access to your representatives as a lobbyist or a wealthy donor, where you get to say how you would like them to vote on a bill and see how they vote in real time. And it’s all on an app on the phone in your pocket. That’s called the Digital Democracy Project, and it’s currently a reality in Florida with plans to expand to all 50 states. Ramon and Nancy speak about how tools like blockchain keep the app safe and secure; how most people are more nuanced than our partisan system would have you believe; and why we shouldn’t have to wait four years to have a say in the running of our government. To learn more about the Digital Democracy Project or watch Ramon’s TED talk, visit their website.

Who among us isn’t feeling at least a tinge, if not a tsunami, of panic right now, with a disastrous debate, dystopian Supreme Court decisions and Project 2025 lurking in our nightmares? I’m not good at sitting with anxiety, so my reaction is always to get to work – and right now that means more new episodes of the New Faces of Democracy podcast. So if you’re looking for a balm for your frazzled soul, check out the new season that’s well underway featuring conversations with people who are nothing short of warriors for democracy.

What to do after a disastrous presidential debate and devastating Supreme Court rulings? This episode features a conversation with Brian Derrick of Oath, who has one solution: smart, impactful giving to candidates up and down the ballot who will protect democracy and defend our most cherished rights. Oath is an online fundraising platform that helps Democratic donors identify where their money is most needed in the races that mean the most to them, whether their focus is flipping the House, state legislatures, reproductive rights and more. Nancy and Brian talk about the problem of wasted donations to long shot candidates; the nimble, data-driven scoring system they use at Oath to make their recommendations; and one side benefit of using Oath which is ending the nonstop barrage of emails and text messages from campaigns. Listen to the end to hear how to stay positive during what’s shaping up to be a challenging summer. To learn more about Oath, check out their website at oath.vote. 

This episode features a conversation with Emily White of #iVoted Concerts. For all the technology in our world today, voter turnout tactics, like door knocking and phone banking, have seen remarkably little innovation in decades. But when, in 2016, Wisconsin native and music industry insider Emily White first heard about the narrow vote margin that helped Donald Trump win the White House in her home state, she thought, “Wait a minute, that’s the size of a concert venue!”. That was the lightbulb moment when Emily came up with the idea of organizing election night concerts with free tickets for people who show a selfie in front of their polling place. The result has been a beautiful marriage of music and data to engage more voters and strengthen democracy. Emily and Nancy talk about the fact that young people are twice as likely to attend a concert than vote; the MIT analysis showing the remarkable increase in voter turnout that resulted from #iVoted Concerts; and the highly targeted, data-driven events planned for this year around the country, particularly in swing states. If you want to learn more about #iVoted Concerts or to support their work, check out their website where you can donate and find links to their social media.

This episode features a conversation with Claire Atkin of the ad tech watchdog Check My Ads. Our online world has become incredibly complex, bringing with it myriad opportunities for bad actors to manipulate opinions, ideas and ultimately our political system. You may not know what ad tech is or why we need a watchdog, but the bottom line is that Claire and her colleagues at Check My Ads have ventured deep into the weeds to defund online platforms that promote hate and disinformation by taking away their revenue sources: ads. Claire and Nancy talk about the “donut of grifters” on the internet who have monetized the politics of hate through digital advertising; the intentional opacity of the ad tech industry that keeps advertisers from knowing where their online ads are placed; and the great successes that this small but mighty team at Check My Ads have had thus far. If you want to learn more about Check My Ads, you can check out their website where you can make a donation or sign up for their newsletter with regular calls to action. 

Four years ago, Jordan Zaslow was busy with her life running an advertising and entertainment production company, but when things shut down during covid in 2020, she found herself with time on her hands and lots of worries about the upcoming election. So she and her team decided to channel that anxiety into making pro bono campaign ads for female Democrats running for office, and Her Bold Move was born. Her Bold Move is now in their fourth election cycle and dedicated to electing more “pro-women” women who will influence policy on issues that matter to women, like reproductive rights and affordable childcare. Jordan and Nancy speak about the unique challenges and pressures women face when running for office, why we can’t leave behind women running in red state races, conquering imposter syndrome, and much more. If you want to learn more about Her Bold Move and help get more women into the rooms where it happens, check out their website, www.herboldmove.org, where you can also find links to their social media.

On this episode, Nancy speaks with Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, a Republican whose office is in charge of election operations and voter registration in the Pennsylvania city. Nancy and Seth talk about why, despite enduring threats and harassment in 2020 from members of his own party, Seth remains committed to his mission of ensuring free, secure and transparent elections for all voters. They also discuss the importance of bipartisanship, what it means to be a principled Republican today, and why Seth has recently become affiliated with the Forward Party. This conversation will leave you feeling reassured about the prospects for this year’s elections and the people who run them in Pennsylvania, where the thinnest of margins can have the largest of impacts.