Local politics is the foundation of democracy. Cities, towns, counties, and school boards are where governance becomes personal—where the decisions of public officials shape the streets we drive on, the safety of our neighborhoods, the quality of our schools, the cost of our housing, and the vibrancy of our public life. While national politics can feel distant and abstract, local government is where democracy is most visible and most accountable. It’s where residents speak directly to their representatives, where budgets reflect community priorities, and where small victories—or missteps—can define the daily experience of millions.
Yet local politics is also where democratic power is most vulnerable. Low voter turnout, limited media coverage, and chronic underfunding mean that many decisions happen quietly, sometimes without public scrutiny. When transparency is weak, backroom deals, developer pressure, and administrative inertia can undermine community trust. But when residents engage—by attending meetings, joining advisory boards, organizing neighbors, or simply staying informed—local democracy can become a powerful engine for fairness, innovation, and belonging. These institutions, though often overlooked, are the frontline guardians of democratic norms.
In this collection of podcasts, journalists, scholars, organizers, public servants, and everyday citizens reveal how local democracy actually works—and how it can work better. You’ll hear stories of residents learning how their city government functions and becoming empowered to shape it. You’ll explore the fight for transparency and inclusion, from uncovering harmful backroom deals to documenting how local leaders rebuild trust. You’ll meet mayors and city councilmembers who balance community needs with industry pressures, and hear hopeful accounts of neighborhoods solving small problems that spark large-scale renewal. From voting rights at the local level to the challenge of making government information accessible in a digital age, these conversations show democracy in its most human form.
Together, these episodes demonstrate a simple truth: local politics is not a side note to democracy—it is its heartbeat. When people understand how their community is governed, when they show up, speak up, and work together, they make democracy tangible. Strong national institutions depend on strong local ones, and the health of our democracy begins in the places we call home.
Why do local and state elections matter, and how can voters be sure that their voices are being represented in the lawmaking process? We open the third season of Democracy Decoded with an overview of democracy at the state and local level, and how we can ensure that all citizens can have their voices heard.
In this episode Simone talks with Jawharrah Bahar about her experience losing and then regaining her freedom to vote, and how that inspired her work with the advocacy group Free Hearts. CLC’s senior vice president Paul Smith explains how and why state and local governments are stepping in directly to protect the right to cast a ballot. Simone also speaks with the Arizona State Director for the organization All Voting is Local, Alex Gulotta. Alex talks about the fight for state and local voting policies that protect the freedom to vote of Black, brown, Native American, and other historically disenfranchised communities.
Listen to the full episode on Democracy Decoded: All Politics Is Local
This season's first episode explores what happens when neighbors and local government work together to make their communities stronger and more inclusive.
When Linda Harris began working at city hall in her hometown of Decatur, Georgia, she noticed that the relationship between local government leaders and their constituents was often tense, or nonexistent. City workers were used to residents interacting with them when they had a complaint, for example. She came up with an idea: a straightforward class open to anyone in Decatur to learn about how their city government worked.
Thus began Decatur 101, now a long-standing institution that even the mayor participated in. In this episode, we talk with Linda and Decatur 101 participants about why understanding how your government works, empowers you to begin advocating for changes you want to see in your community.
Listen to the full episode on When the People Decide: Peeling back the curtain on local government
We discuss how the struggle for transparency is really a struggle for the soul of American democracy.
Miranda S. Spivack is a veteran reporter and editor who specialized in government accountability, as well as the author of Backroom Deals in Our Backyard: How Government Secrecy Harms Our Communities and the Local Heroes Fighting Back.
Your civic action toolkit recommendations from Miranda are:
Listen to the full episode on Future Hindsight: Holding Democracy Accountable: Miranda Spivack
Stephanie's conversation with Mayor Zeb Smathers, a New Deal Leader, on local politics in a mountain mill town, where your constituents know where you live, where you grocery shop, and how to find you. He talks about the focus on solutions rather than scoring partisan political points. We focus on the importance of local politics in the midst of a toxic national political environment.
Listen to the full episode on Freedom Over Fascism: All Politics is Local. Canton, NC Mayor Zeb Smathers on respect, solutions, and getting the job done.
Amid election deniers and political polarization, it's easy to overlook the times when democracy is actually working. We do that this week in a hopeful conversation about resident-centered government. Elected officials and administrative staff like city planners often have the best intentions when it comes to development and redevelopment, but political and professional incentives push them to pursue projects that lure in outsiders rather than serving people who live in their communities.
Our guest this week is Michelle Wilde Anderson, a professor of property, local government, and environmental justice at Stanford Law School and the author of The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America. The book tells the stories of revitalization efforts in Stockton, California, Josephine, Oregon, Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Detroit, Michigan. In each instance, residents organized to fix small problems that turned into large-scale change. It's a model that anyone can replicate and our democracy will be stronger for it.
Listen to the full episode on Democracy Works: Celebrating democracy's small victories
Recorded at the NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit in Atlanta, GA, this week's episode features co-host Ryan Coonerty in conversation with former Mountain View City, CA Mayor-now-Councilmember Chris Clark. Clark describes how he balances working for tech companies by day and the interests of the Mountain View community by night. They talk about how lessons learned in tech can be applied to improve local governments, how Clark transitioned from his upbringing in rural Illinois to the Silicon Valley, and his journey from being Mountain View's youngest elected official and mayor to now a longstanding councilmember. Ryan and Clark also discuss how Mountain View operates, their relationship with the major tech companies in the area, how big companies in small communities affect housing in that area, and the role of policymakers in maintaining healthy standards of living for constituents. Tune in to learn how Clark manages his daily duties and how he maintains efficacy in all spaces.
IN THIS EPISODE:
• [00:00] Chris Clark describes his balancing act of working for both big tech and the people.
• [02:50] Exploring the broken telephone between tech companies and local governments.
• [04:19] Lessons learned from tech that could also work to improve local government.
• [06:37] Chris walks us through his journey from rural Illinois to the heart of Silicon Valley.
• [09:20] Evolving from Mountain View's youngest mayor to an experienced councilmember.
• [11:25] Legacy building, and unpacking Mountain View City and its relationship with big tech.
• [14:18] How the presence of large companies affects housing, and the role of policymaking.
• [19:25] The way Chris balances his daily duties to be effective in all the roles he plays.
• [21:06] Assessing the next steps in his career.
Listen to the full episode on An Honorable Profession: How Mountain View City Councilmember Chris Clark connects Tech and Local Government
Tom Cochran joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about his career in politics and tech, working in The White House and State Department and co-founding Civic Sunlight, which is using AI to create summaries of Town Hall meetings to make local government information more accessible.
Listen to the full episode on The Great Battlefield: Making News of Local Government more Accessible with Tom Cochran of Civic Sunlight
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