A podcast about ballot initiatives, the people who organize them, and how they’ve shaped democracy.
When the People Decide is a podcast produced by LWC Studios for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. The eight-episode series explores and sometimes peril — that ballot initiatives have brought to American democracy by telling the stories of people who have organized initiative campaigns across the country. In this reported series, Jenna Spinelle tells the stories of activists, legislators, academics, and average citizens who changed their cities, states, and the country by taking important issues directly to votes — like Medicaid expansion in Idaho, sentencing reform in California, and LGBTQ workplace protections in Ohio.
In this reported series, Jenna Spinelle tells the stories of activists, legislators, academics, and average citizens who changed their cities, states, and the country by taking important issues directly to votes — like Medicaid expansion in Idaho, sentencing reform in California, and LGBTQ workplace protections in Ohio.
From The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, When the People Decide explores the pros and cons of this largely overlooked tool of government and its impact in the last half century.
Jenna Spinelle is the Founder of The Democracy Group and Communications Specialist for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy. She is responsible for shaping all of the institute’s external communication, including website content, social media, multimedia, and media outreach. She holds a B.A. in journalism from Penn State and is an instructor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Prior to joining the McCourtney Institute, Spinelle helped market Penn State to prospective students and families in the University’s Undergraduate Admissions Office.
We caught up with one of our hosts and The Democracy Group Founder Jenna Spinelle about the podcasts Democracy Works and When The People Decide, the story behind The Democracy Group podcast network and instilling hope in uncertain times.
The Round Table, a part of Next Generation Politics, is a “by GenZ, for GenZ” podcast that provides a platform for conversation and engagement by challenging norms and representing all kinds of diversity, especially of perspective and ideas.
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Welcome to the Best of 2023!
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.
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.
Over 400 million people worldwide listen to podcasts!
Engaging in civil discourse. Inspiring civic engagement. Exploring the future of our democracy.
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