Politics is Everything

Center for Politics at the University of Virginia

What can we do to strengthen democracy? Politics Is Everything provides nonpartisan research and engages in thought-provoking conversations to inspire informed political and civic participation.

ABOUT

Politics is Everything

Democracy faces a wide range of pressing challenges - from extreme partisanship and divisive politics to persistent inequities in access, voice and participation in public institutions and decision-making processes, from civic unrest to institutions that aren’t responsive to public needs. But it's not enough to just identify problems. Politics Is Everything from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia provides nonpartisan research and engages in thought-provoking conversations to inspire informed political and civic participation in order to strengthen democracy. Politics Is Everything is hosted by Kyle Kondik, Carah Ong Whaley, and other members of the Center for Politics team.

Featured Guests

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Where To Start

Does Political Experience Matter?

Meet The Hosts

Carah Ong Whaley

Host, Director

Carah Ong Whaley, PhD is Director of Election Protection at Issue One and a nationally renown expert on democracy reform. She works closely with IO’s Faces of Democracy, National Council on Election Integrity, and on a Elections Communications Hub that brings together nonpartisan organizations to advance election integrity, increase confidence in elections, and protect the right of individuals to exercise their democratic rights without interference. Previously, Carah worked at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. She serves as co-chair of the American Political Science Association’s Civic Engagement section and is a member of APSA’s Civic Education Committee. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Teen Vogue, NPR, among others. She is co-author and editor of The Red Ripple: The 2022 Midterm Elections and What They Mean For 2024 (Rowman & Littlefield 2022); Civic Pedagogies: Teaching Civic Engagement in Era of Divisive Politics (Springer 2024); Leaning Into Politics: Higher Education and the Democracy We Need (Information Age Press 2024); American Government: Roots and Reform (chapters on Political Parties, Campaigns, Elections and Voting, and The Media; Pearson 2013-2024); “Jan. 6 Hearings Show a Democracy in Crisis. Civic Education Can Help;" "We the People, We the Process: Engaging Young People in Election Administration;" “Counting on Higher Education: Teaching and Assessing Knowledge and Participation in the 2020 Census;” among other publications. Carah was previously Associate Director of the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement at James Madison University. Under campus-wide voter education and engagement initiatives facilitated by Carah, over 75% of the student body turned out to vote in the 2020 election. Carah worked for non-governmental organizations on nuclear weapons and security issues from 1999-2012. She was appointed by the Governor of Virginia to the Complete Count Commission for the 2020 Census. Carah holds a PhD in American Government and a Master’s in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and degrees in Spanish and Global Peace and Security from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Where To Listen

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FEATURED BLOG ARTICLES

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May 7, 2024
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5
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Strategies for Protest and Peacebuilding on College Campuses and Beyond

Waves of student protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza swept American campuses last week and along with them the debate of free speech and the freedom to peaceably assemble on campus grounds.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

Democracy's Good News to highlight the everyday people shaping democracy

A common narrative about the 2024 election is that “democracy is on the ballot” and that American democracy could be in very dire shape if the election doesn’t go a particular way. At The Democracy Group, we understand those risks and take them seriously. But we also know that many other media outlets will be covering the election through this lens.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

Meet Carah Ong Whaley from Politics Is Everything

We caught up with one of our hosts Carah Ong Whaley from Politics is Everything about the podcast, challenges as well as tips for young voices looking to enter politics and the podcasting sphere.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

📢 New Podcasts Alert: Episodes from our 2023 Podcast Fellows

A new year means new episodes!

Jessie Nguyen
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

Celebrate with some of our best episodes from The Democracy Group!

Welcome to the Best of 2023!

Jessie Nguyen
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

A Thanksgiving tradition disrupted

We hope you got to spend a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and friends.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 7, 2024
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8
min read

Shining a spotlight on the states

For the latest in our series on organizations that inspire us to take action to build a stronger democracy, Democracy Group community manager Jessie Nguyen caught up with Bree Grossi Wilde, executive director of the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

What a female president means for Mexico

In what many deem a patriarchal country, two women are on track to make history as they are both presidential nominees in Mexico’s leading parties. Polls showed the two female candidates are currently front runners and the most likely to be elected presidents in the general election on June 2, 2024.

Jessie Nguyen
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

Meet the hosts of Vital Signs of Democracy

We're excited to share a new podcast in the democracy space — Vital Signs of Democracy. Community Manager Megan Goldstein talked with hosts Debilyn Molineaux and David Riordan to learn more

Megan Goldstein
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

An inside look at Issue 1 in Ohio

A surprisingly large number of Ohioans flocked to the polls in August to cast their vote on Issue 1, where 57% voted "no" to defeat the measure.

Megan Goldstein
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

What does Gen Z look for in podcasts?

Over 400 million people worldwide listen to podcasts!

Megan Goldstein
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

The End of Affirmative Action

On June 29th, the supreme court ruled to make affirmative action unlawful in The Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.

Megan Goldstein
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

The Democracy Group's Summer Reading List

Looking for a new book to read this summer? Here are 10 recommendations from our network's hosts and producers.

Megan Goldstein
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

Q&A with Citizen Connect

This week, Community Manager Megan Goldstein interviewed Morris Effron, co-founder of Citizen Connect. Read on to learn more about the organization and how you can get involved!

Megan Goldstein
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

The future of AI and democracy

AI is rapidly evolving and has the potential to transform many aspects of our lives, including democracy.

Megan Goldstein
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

A new perspective on democratic backsliding

In order to understand how to strengthen democracy, we must understand how this erosion happens.

Megan Goldstein
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May 7, 2024
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5
min read

Welcome, TPNR!

Welcome, TPNR! We are excited to announce a new show in our network: Talkin' Politics and Religion Without Killin' Each Other, or TPNR for short.

Megan Goldstein
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