Another Way, by Lawrence Lessig: Recent Episodes
Lawrence Lessig
Through interviews with politicians, journalists, activists, and the latest and greatest names in the fight to restore our democracy, the Another Way podcast explores the plans and policies for returning power to the people.
For more information about the case, Dinner Table Action v. Schneider, visit: https://equalcitizens.us/against_superpacs/
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Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
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To read Robertson's research, visit: https://equalcitizens.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025_02_26__53_3__Exhibit_4___Christopher_Robertson_Declaration-1.pdf
For more information about the case, Dinner Table Action v. Schneider, visit: https://equalcitizens.us/against_superpacs/
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
For more information about the case, Dinner Table Action v. Schneider, visit: https://equalcitizens.us/against_superpacs/
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More information about the case, Dinner Table Action v. Schneider: https://equalcitizens.us/against_superpacs/
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More information about the case, Dinner Table Action v. Schneider: https://equalcitizens.us/against_superpacs/
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More information about the case, Dinner Table Action v. Schneider: https://equalcitizens.us/against_superpacs/
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode, Lessig and Hepburn continue the conversation, discussing the hot-button issues shaping the start of 2026.
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The latest (and penultimate) episode of Season 7, continuing the conversation with Ben Hepburn.
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Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Pulling it all together, Lessig asks his high school friend Ben Hepburn: How can you defend this? Listen to the conversation, and the common ground that gets built.
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music:
Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions
Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions
Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production:
Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode, Lessig and Hepburn discuss what Lessig has elsewhere described as Trumps strategy of extortion — illegal threats to force compliance by every institution that might resist him. (Plus a quick trip to Vietnam, and the promise of a brand new Trump resort!)
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music:
Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions
Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions
Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production:
Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode, Lessig and Hepburn discuss the tariffs. Is there some point at which MAGA supporters call uncle?
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music: Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions; Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions; Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production: Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Lessig's conversation with Ben Hepburn continues, this time about Ukraine, DOGE and RFKJr Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In this second episode, Ben Hepburn and Lessig continue to see where we can find common ground in our understanding of the current administration. Are we on the left too pessimistic? Is the other side too optimistic?
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this season, Lessig will have a conversation with Ben Hepburn, a friend from high school, whose politics is not Lessig's. The plan for the season is to check in regularly about the latest questions raised by the new Trump administration, and see whether a conservative and a liberal can find common ground, or even just understanding. This first episode was recorded just before in Inauguration.
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Music:
Roundpine by Blue Dot Sessions
Noe Noe by Blue Dot Sessions
Vengeful by Blue Dot Sessions
Post-production:
Josh Elstro of Elstro Production
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
On this episode (recorded before Tuesday's election), Lessig is joined by his colleagues Matthew A. Seligman (Stris & Maher), Ned Foley (Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State), and Derek Muller (Notre Dame Law School) to discuss what could (have) happen(ed) in the period after Election Day and before the counting of electoral votes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In this episode, Lessig outlines what happens if Maine passes Question 1. What are the next steps, and the arguments that will get us to the Supreme Court — and to victory!
On this episode, Lessig describes the campaign in Maine. The legislature chose to let the people decide whether to vote against SuperPACs in Maine — and if upheld, the nation. This episode discusses that campaign, and the risks it faces. Check out the website of the campaign at CitizensToEndSuperPACS.org.
On this episode, Lessig keeps the story going. We got the signatures. The next step was that the Maine legislature needed to decide whether it would pass the initiative into law itself, or let it go to the ballot. This episode is the story of the legislative hearing, and its decision on how to handle the initiative.
On this episode, Lessig chronicles the next chapter in the story of the Maine initiative. We had an idea — based on FreeSpeechForPeople’s brilliant argument — for an initiative. And Mainers were excited about the idea. A poll showed overwhelming support for the initiative. We just needed to raise the funds to get the signatures gathered. That proved to be an enormous challenge — unsurprisingly, as our theory of victory included convincing the Supreme Court we were right. This episode tells the story of how we got the signatures gathered.
On this episode, Lessig details how we got to this initiative that could end Super PACs: FreeSpeechForPeople.org’s brilliant argument, and the decision to take that argument into the field and win!
On this episode, Lessig provides a brief history of the fight to end SuperPACs. Then, critically, he examines how the theory of the conservatives — originalism — supports our argument against SuperPACs.
On this episode, Lessig asks: How is money a problem in a democracy, and how is it like the other problems we’re facing in our democracy?
On this episode, Lessig explains the legal background to the Maine initiative, from Citizens United to the case that gave us SuperPACs: SpeechNow v. FEC (2010).
On this episode, Lessig introduces the upcoming Maine initiative that could end SuperPACs and lays out the plan for Season 6 of Another Way.
For this final episode of Season 5, Lessig speaks to TedX Berlin about AI, democracy, and the future.You can watch a video recording of this TedX talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zYHqg1PwoQ
In 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, Jon Stever launched an extraordinary experiment to draw together a representative sample of the world to discuss the climate and ecological crisis the world is facing. In this conversation, I talk to him about how he and his team did that, and what it teaches us about the potential for citizen assemblies generally.
Ireland has been perhaps the most impressive example of citizen assemblies addressing national issues in a new and edifying way. David Farrell is an academic who has studied the Irish example. I talk with him about what Ireland can teach the rest of the world.
Katrín Oddsdóttir is a founding mother of the still-not-ratified Iceland Constitution. In 2012, the people of Iceland told their Parliament to adopt a constitution based on the draft that she and 24 other Icelanders crafted. They had crafted their draft based upon the results from two citizens assemblies. We hear about that history and what it can teach us going forward.
Claudia Chwalisz is a social entrepreneur, spreading the gospel of citizen assemblies. In this episode we talk to her about citizens assemblies' potential and how they are spreading across the world.
Not all AI is democracy ending AI. Some can support democracy and make it better. In this episode, I talk to Kim Polese, whose career launching transformative technologies (beginning with Java) has landed with a democracy enhancing AI, CrowdSmart. We talk about its potential, as well as the open source alternative, pol.is.
David Van Reybrouck's book, Against Elections, helped crystalize a movement for citizen assemblies. In my conversation with him, we talk about the origin of this idea, and how it could complement democracy.
Chloe Maxim and Canyon Woodward built a people focused movement in rural Maine to change the way politics works. I talk to them about their book, Dirt Road Revival, and the organization they've launched, DirtRoadOrganizing.org, aiming to change how we do politics, for the better.
Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn at 23, and founder of UpWorthy, talks to me about creating healthy online spaces, and democratic activism that builds up democracy rather than tearing it down.
After hope, we need health. Josh Greene, professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of Moral Tribes talks to me about building healthier engagement between increasingly polarized citizens.
Jennifer Pahlka, founder of the Code for America and former Deputy CTO, talks with me about improving digital governmental capacity, working from her new book, Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Era and How We Can Do Better.
Our first lifeboat is hope — hope that government could actually do good. Brink Lindsey, formerly of the Cato Institute, and now Director of the Open Society Project at the Niskanen Center, talks to me about governmental capacity, and how we could make it better.
We can make our unrepresentative representative democracy representative. But AI may mean that's not enough. This episode introduces the final section of this season — lifeboats: the changes we could make to make it so democracy can survive.
AI has already affected our society fundamentally. That effect first happened through social media. In this episode, we speak with Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, about that first effect, and what we can expect as AI evolves.
What happens when news must compete? How does that affect the news? In this episode, we talk to Ben Smith, a journalist and entrepreneur who played a central role in the transformation of media through social media. His book, Traffic, tells that story better than any other just now.
No technology in the last two generations has more affected ordinary life and ordinary politics more profoundly than social media. In this episode, we talk to NYU Stern School of Business Professor Jonathan Haidt about how social media has changed us, and especially our kids, and what we might do to respond.
What was media like? How has media changed? In this episode, we talk to Princeton Professor Markus Prior about the architecture of public media, over the period of what he calls "broadcast democracy," and in the period we're living within today. How does that architecture affect the politics that is possible?
There was a time when the presumption of democracy — that the people were rational and guided our democracy to reasoned conclusions — was true. Or tru-ish. In this episode, we speak with the authors of one of the most important work studying this relatively healthy period, Ben Page and Robert Shapiro. Their 1992 book — The Rational Public — presented an enormous amount of evidence demonstrating how democracy worked. We discuss what made that working possible.
The premise of the first part to this season is that our broken democracy can be fixed. The solutions are clear and achievable. Many of them would be enacted if the Democrats regained sufficient control of our government. But in this part, we explore why these solutions won't be enough. We can right the overturned tables for sure; but there's a gash in the hull that will make even these changes not enough.
The obscure rules of the Senate are an important part of the dysfunction of American democracy today. In this episode, we speak to a former Secretary for the Majority of the United States Senate and, for the last two years of the Obama administration, the Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs at the White House, Martin Paone. There is perhaps no one in America with a better sense of how our Senate works — or doesn't work — or with a better intuition about how to fix it.
Just 8% of voters elect 83% of the House: This is the fact standing behind the reform proposed by Nick Troiano in his book, The Primary Solution, which we discuss in this episode. The problem is truly astonishing. And the solution is quite genius.
Democracy reform needs a target. We can say things like "representative democracy must be representative," but what does that exactly mean? In this episode, we speak with Harvard Law Professor Nick Stephanopoulos about his conception of representativeness — "alignment" — and what that says about the reforms we should be pressing.
Even great ideas need to be studied and understood scientifically. Jennifer Heerwig has done more than anyone studying the effects of the voucher experiment in Seattle, Washington. In this episode, we hear what she has learned, and what that could mean for reform more generally.
The single best reform for the way we fund campaigns would be democracy vouchers. In this episode, we speak to the man who heard about this idea and then made it real in Seattle.
The assumption of most lawyers — or Americans — who know the word "SuperPAC" is that the Supreme Court has declared that the First Amendment protects SuperPACs. In this episode, you'll learn why that assumption is flat-out false, and about the fight to end SuperPAC money in America's democracy.
Reform is possible. Congressman John Sarbanes is proof. Sarbanes is the most important architect of democracy reform in Congress today. In this episode, Lessig and Sarbanes speak about the For the People Act, and where reform will continue.
The new season of Another Way is finally here! In this episode, Lawrence Lessig outlines his plan for the season, which will eventually be turned into a book. Listeners are invited to reconceptualize the crisis that American democracy faces and to join Lessig in the search for democracy's "lifeboats".
In this episode, Lawrence Lessig outlines our plan to fight back against SuperPACs. He explains the logical mistake in SpeechNow v. FEC, why we launched a video competition (with a $50,000 prize!), and the legal strategy that could render SuperPACs largely powerless.
For more information on the video contest, visit:
cancelsuperpacs.com
In this episode, Lessig speaks to Ron Fein, the Legal Director for Free Speech For People. The two discuss a major legal mistake made by the courts, which, if corrected, would allow states to regulate SuperPACs. They discuss efforts by Free Speech For People and Equal Citizens to bring to light this mistake.If you are interested in learning more about the $50,000 video contest, visit www.equalcitizens.us
In this episode, Lawrence Lessig speaks to Tristan Harris, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Humane Technology, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to align technology with humanity’s best interests. Lessig and Harris discuss the (real, not sci-fi-inspired) threats posed by generative A.I. (artificial intelligence) technology and some potential guardrails that could guide the technology in a way that benefits — not harms — society. This episode is the first of two previews for the upcoming season of Another Way.
Adam Eichen speaks with Jonathan Mehta Stein (Executive Director of California Common Cause) and Vernetta Woods (IVE Team leader at Oakland Rising Action). They discuss the innovative fair elections initiative that will appear on this year's midterm ballot in Oakland and how it could inspire similar efforts across the nation. They also speak about what keeps them from burning out, even during an intensive ballot initiative campaign.
Listen to Rabbi Pollack's appearance on Another Way from 2019: https://equalcitizens.us/how-a-rabbi-in-pennsylvania-is-fixing-democracy/
Another Way is back! Adam Eichen and Lawrence Lessig have a candid conversation about the state of our democracy, feelings of loss (post-Freedom to Vote Act campaign), and what keeps them motivated in a very disturbing political time.
Context for the No Labels phone call leak: https://theintercept.com/2021/06/16/joe-manchin-leaked-billionaire-donors-no-labels/
A link to the updated New York Review of Books essay:
https://medium.lessig.org/1759084fcf6f
A link to the original New York Review of Books essay:
https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2021/12/10/why-the-us-is-a-failed-democratic-state
Eastman's op-ed clarifying his stance: https://americanmind.org/memo/setting-the-record-straight-on-the-potus-ask/
Full memo: http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2021/images/09/21/privileged.and.confidential.--.jan.3.memo.on.jan.6.scenario.pdf
On this episode of Another Way, Adam Eichen is joined by End Citizens United's Adam Bozzi and American Progress' Michael Sozan. The three discuss the media's handling of the fight to pass the For The People Act and why the pundits have missed the mark.
Equity for the People:
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/equity-people
Elizabeth's Medium article:
https://elizabeth-hira.medium.com/at-what-cost-democracy-remembering-jfks-covert-interventions-on-guyanese-independence-day-fa111dd40ae4
Elizabeth's blog post about the For The People Act as the next great civil rights bill:
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/people-act-americas-next-great-civil-rights-bill
A link to the video recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkFI2W5Tta0&t=13s
Michael's Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/02/voting-fix-that-cannot-wait-stopping-partisan-gerrymandering/
Watch the video recording of the lecture here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxoMcWxUP7w
To find out more about where your senators stand on the filibuster, visit www.equalcitizens.us/itmustgo
On this episode of Another Way, Lessig shares the audio of his recent speech at “Peaches and Politics” in New Durham, New Hampshire. In it, he describes the stakes of the fight for the For The People Act,and makes the case that tough love is now needed for President Biden.
For more information about DFAD, visit:
https://dfadcoalition.org/
http://recesscanwait.org/
On this episode of Another Way, Equal Citizens Executive Director Adam Eichen speaks with Eli Zupnick, spokesperson for the Fix Our Senate Coalition (https://www.fixoursenate.org/) . The two discuss the stakes of the filibuster fight, what filibuster reform might look like, and the prospects for reform.
A video recording of the event is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ruZdpFWP8
In this episode, Lawrence Lessig speaks to U.S. Representative Mondaire Jones. They discuss Rep. Jones' first few months as a member of Congress, the latest on H.R. 1, the need for a Third Reconstruction, and the filibuster.
This conversation builds off a February 5th, 2021 interview, available here: https://equalcitizens.us/the-quest-to-understand-the-people/
On this episode of Another Way, Lawrence Lessig speaks with Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and wt.social. Lessig and Wales discuss the origins of Wikipedia, its architecture, and its ad-free commitment to neutrality. They also attempt to unpack the growing polarization in the media, digital algorithms and the addictiveness of technology, and how to reform the informational ecosystem to ensure better deliberation.
For this week's episode, we are re-broadcasting the audio of an Equal Citizens event held on March 31st, 2021 entitled, "The Fight For Voting Rights Reform: The Path To H.R. 1 and H.R. 4". The event featured Lawrence Lessig moderating a conversation between Duke Law Professor Guy-Uriel Charles and Emory Professor Carol Anderson. The three scholars discuss voter suppression, the bills that Congress is currently considering to tackle it — the For The People Act and the Voting Rights Advancement Act — and what we can do to ensure their passage and save our democracy. Representative Mondaire Jones makes a special appearance.
Buy Lee's book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/breaking-the-two-party-doom-loop-9780190913854?cc=us⟨=en#
Links to the projects that Sam mentions in the episode:
https://gerrymander.princeton.edu
https://openprecincts.org/
https://representable.org/
Subscribe to our Substack for the latest news about H.R. 1: https://econhr1.substack.com/
This episode of Another Way is unique: Lessig speaks to a Trump-supporting friend, whose name has been changed and voice altered to allow the friend to speak without the burdens his views might create in his world. Lessig and “George” discuss Trump, the January 6th insurrection and partisanship. Is common ground possible?
On this episode, Lawrence Lessig speaks with Rob Sand, who has served as Iowa's State Auditor since 2019. The two discuss Sand's history of investigating white collar crime, the feeling of loss in small town America, and polarization.
In this episode, Lawrence Lessig speaks with Bill Kristol, longtime conservative pundit, about democracy reform and the future of the Republican Party.
In this episode, Lawrence Lessig speaks with Representative Ro Khanna, who serves California's 17th Congressional district. Rep. Khanna gives listeners a legislative update on the For The People Act, and he speaks candidly about the threat of a Senate filibuster, the need for public campaign financing, the early days of the Biden administration, and the insurrection attempt on January 6th.
In this episode, Lawrence Lessig is joined by Guy-Uriel Charles, the Edward and Ellen Schwarzman Professor of Law at Duke Law School. Lessig and Charles explore the differences between H.R. 1 (the For The People Act) and H.R. 4 (the Voting Rights Advancement Act), and argue Congress should pass H.R. 1 first.
Note: Equal Citizens is highly supportive of both H.R. 1 and H.R. 4.
For more information about the For The People Act: https://sarbanes.house.gov/issues/hr-1-the-for-the-people-act
For more information about the ballot measure and Alaskans for Better Elections, click here: https://alaskansforbetterelections.com
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Lessig's Medium post on Hawley: https://lessig.medium.com/senator-josh-hawleys-outrage-741732e8821
Become a Patreon subscriber: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
On this episode, Jason Harrow and Adam Eichen present the awards for best and worst actors in our democracy. Some award winners will surprise you — and others not so much....
On this episode, Jason Harrow and Adam Eichen discuss their takeaways from 2020. They reflect on how well our democracy withstood COVID-19 and unprecedented attacks by Donald Trump. The two also highlight the importance of the upcoming runoff senate elections in Georgia.
We want to understand why you listen and how we can make our episodes even better in the New Year. Complete the survey at democracygroup.org/survey for a chance to share your thoughts with us and win some swag from the network.
In our election day special, we bring you a recording of our live conversation from October 30. We talked about the worries of this election day, but we also looked beyond the election to discuss the policy options on the table if Biden wins. While we await the results, we end our election day blitz of episodes on an optimistic note!
In this last pre-election episode in our mini-series, we bat around a few outrageous scenarios. Will votes be tossed out en masse? Can the House just refuse to count any votes at all? Find out!
In this last regular episode of our mini-series about the road to selecting a president, we are joined by David Fontana of GW Law to talk about the Vice President. What role does the Constitution give the Vice President in counting electoral votes? And can this be manipulated?
In today's episode of the mini-series, we discuss the House contingent election. It hasn't happened since 1824, but could it this year? What could trigger it? And what would happen if the House has to choose the President?
In this bonus episode, Jason speaks with National Popular Vote founder Dr. John Koza. They discuss the problems with the electoral college, how it can be reformed with the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, and the importance of Tuesday's referendum on the issue in Colorado.
In this episode, we speak with Professor Stephen Siegel, a Professor of Law at DePaul University, about the Electoral Count Act, which sets the rules for Congress when it counts electoral votes. We explain what happens if there is just one slate and how Congress might resolve a controversy if there are competing slates of electors from one state.
In this episode in our presidential election miniseries, we talk about the vote of the electoral college. Who are the electors, how do they cast their votes, and what could possibly go wrong?
Matthew Seligman wrote about this recently at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/the-good-but-also-ominous-news-from-the-supreme-court-about-voting-in-pennsylvania.
In this episode of our mini-series on presidential elections, we take a look at three examples of how states handled recounts in close elections. Are we in for a redo of Florida in 2000—or does Hawaii in 1960 provide a better example? A companion series of blog posts related to this episode can be found at http://takecareblog.com
In the next episode in our presidential election miniseries, we discuss election night itself. Will there be some states where early returns favor Trump even if Biden might win when all the votes are counted? If so, what can we do to mitigate any misunderstanding or misinformation from the media or the candidates?
In this episode, Larry Lessig introduces a mini-series that will appear in this feed between now and election day: Another Way To Elect The President. This intro provides some historical and legal background for what could be a presidential election unlike any other. Stay tuned for additional episodes.
This week, Larry speaks with Jake Auchincloss—candidate for Massachusetts’ 4th congressional district—about his victory in a heated primary, the need to reform how we elect candidates, and an in-depth discussion of some of the more obscure, but innovative proposals for campaign finance reform.
In this episode, Larry Lessig speaks with US Senate candidate Jon Ossoff about his campaign to represent Georgia, how his career as a journalist investigating corruption led him to run for office, his commitment to small-dollar public financing, and proposals to fix our broken democracy.
Equal Citizens' Jason Harrow and Adam Eichen discuss a case Jason's working on about age description in voting. They also talk about legal challenges to voting in general, with only about six weeks to go before the general election.
U.S. Representative Ro Khanna speaks with Larry Lessig about his effort to reform our democracy, end corruption, and reduce the impact of money in politics. They talk about working with both Bernie, why Biden will sign reform, finding a way to a real "grand bargain" that can end corruption, and why it's important for activists to keep the pressure on Congress to pass reform.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
On this episode, Jason Harrow and Adam Eichen discuss a new report released by Equal Citizens and a coalition of scholars and organizations. It argues that eight states are unconstitutionally skewing voting rights in favor of older Americans. The two discuss the details of the report, its ramifications, and next steps.
You can read the report at voteathome26.us.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
This week, Larry Lessig talks with John Gastil, a Professor at the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, about how we can make better political decisions. They discuss the polarized media landscape and specific steps we can take to improve deliberation, understanding, and the use of reason.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
On this episode, journalist David Daley joins Adam Eichen to discuss his new book, Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy. To write the book, Daley embedded with democracy reform campaigns throughout the 2018 election cycle. Adam and Dave discuss their favorite success stories from the book and end with some thoughts about Daley's recent New York Times op-ed about the next frontier of gerrymandering.
Purchase Unrigged:
https://www.amazon.com/Unrigged-Americans-Battling-Back-Democracy/dp/1631495755
Read Daley's op-ed in the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/opinion/missouri-republicans-gerrymander.html
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Larry Lessig talks to Congressional candidate Adem Bunkeddeko, who is a candidate for the Democratic nomination in New York's 9th District. They discuss his remarkable personal story and his support for vouchers that would revolutionize how politicians raise money.
Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
Equal Citizens founder Larry Lessig talks with Alex Morse, a candidate for Congress in the First District of Massachusetts, about how Congress really works. They talk about how fundraising permits Congresspeople to live above their means, and why it makes it hard for them to provide real solutions that would improve people's lives. He also explains why, without first reforming our democracy, we're not going to be able to make substantive progress on key policy priorities.
Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
In today's episode, Larry Lessig launches a new "season" of Another Way and explains why we want to talk about reforming our democracy and ending corruption by speaking with folks in or running for Congress and in the media. Our first guest in the series is Mondaire Jones, who is a Democratic candidate for New York's 17th District. They discuss Jones's background, voting in a pandemic, how to take on big money in politics, and more.
Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens
In the second part of a two-part series, we bring you the audio of the Supreme Court's hearing of Colorado Department of State v. Baca, the second of the "presidential elector" cases. The episode is introduced by Jason Harrow, who argued the case on behalf of the electors. The argument occurred on May 13.
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In the first part of a two-part series, we bring you commentary as well as the audio of the Supreme Court's hearing of Chiafalo v. Washington, one of the "presidential elector" cases. Professor Larry Lessig, who argued the case on behalf of the electors, begins the episode with an important preface, explanation of the case, and commentary on the argument. We then replay the audio of the Supreme Court hearing, which occurred on May 13.
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On today's episode, we follow-up our conversation with electors from Washington by talking with three electors from Colorado. Mike Baca, Polly Baca, and Bob Nemanich are the three plaintiffs in the case of Colorado Department of State v. Baca, which will be argued in the U.S. Supreme Court by telephone on Wednesday, May 13. They describe how they came to be electors, what they were trying to do in 2016 when they contemplated voting for a candidate other than Hillary Clinton, and what it means to them to have the Supreme Court hear the case.
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On today's episode, we continue our discussion of the Supreme Court case about presidential electors. Larry Lessig discusses the 2016 presidential election with presidential electors from Washington State. The Supreme Court is set to hear their case on May 13.
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On this episode, Adam Eichen speaks with Stephen Wolf, staff writer for Daily Kos Elections. The two discuss the recent Congressional stimulus package and what it means for our democracy, which states are adapting their elections to COVID-19, and how our unrepresentative electoral system skews politicians' response to the crisis.
Note: As election laws are changing rapidly, much has changed since this podcast was recorded.
Link to the Voting Rights Roundup mentioned in the episode:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/3/27/1931927/-Voting-Rights-Roundup-Congress-new-stimulus-law-doesn-t-do-enough-to-protect-voting-in-November
Sign up to receive Stephen's Voting Rights Roundup:
here: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/get-the-daily-kos-elections-voting-rights-roundup-over-email
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On this week's episode, we bring you a recording of a live conversation between Equal Citizens' Jason Harrow and Jesse Wegman, a member of the New York Times editorial board. Jesse's new book is called Let The People Pick The President, and Jason and Jesse discussed the history of efforts to change to a popular vote for President, as well as the current push through the National Popular Vote Compact. Thanks to the Leadership Now Project for hosting this wonderful virtual discussion. You can learn more about Leadership Now at https://www.leadershipnowproject.org/.
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In this special episode, Equal Citizens founder Larry Lessig talks with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden [D-Or.] about how to protect our elections in this time of crisis. Wyden was the first Senator elected entirely in a mail-in election, and he has emerged as a champion of mail-in voting as the way to ensure we can all vote safely in elections for the remainder of this year. They discuss Wyden's bill as well as what happened in Wisconsin's recent primary that makes vivid the need for immediate reform.
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In today's episode, Equal Citizens founder Larry Lessig and chief counsel Jason Harrow dive deeply in their case about presidential electors, which is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the episode—the first in a multi-part series—they describe how the text, history, and structure of the Constitution require that presidential electors be free to vote for whatever candidate they wish.
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On this week's episode, Jason Harrow and Adam Eichen of Equal Citizens talk with election law expert Rick Hasen about the impact of COVID-19 on our democracy. Rick is a professor at UC Irvine and the author of the Election Law Blog and the new and eerily-prescient book Election Meltdown. Rick discusses the importance of expanding voting from home and absentee balloting, whether elections can be "cancelled," and other impacts the coronavirus will have on our elections.
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In today's episode, Jason Harrow talks with Kathleen Unger, the founder of VoteRiders, about voter ID laws and how her organization is helping more than 1 million people get identification so that they can vote. They discuss the prevalence of voter ID laws, how difficult and expensive it often is to get id, and how the coronavirus crisis is making things even worse.
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On this episode, Adam Eichen is joined by Phil Keisling, Chair of the National Vote at Home Institute (www.voteathome.org). The two discuss the spread of Vote at Home—a reform that requires states to mail every voter their ballot before the election—and why this may well be the next frontier of voting reform.
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With Super Tuesday only days away, we bring you an encore of our conversation about the state of our democracy with Bernie Sanders, the current polling leader for the Democratic nomination. The conversation took place in December in New Hampshire with hosts Larry Lessig and Zephyr Teachout. In it, Bernie promised to make democracy reform a number one priority. Note: this podcast does not constitute an endorsement of Senator Sanders, or any candidate.
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This week, Jason Harrow and Adam Eichen of Equal Citizens recap the Democratic presidential primary. How important has democracy reform for voters? For the media? Adam then tells stories from the ground in New Hampshire. They conclude by discussing ideas to make the 2024 primaries more small-d democratic. Feedback welcome to info@equalcitizens.us.
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Adam Eichen is joined by Andrew Perez, a writer and researcher who spent five years as a money-in-politics investigative reporter. Andrew reveals how he uncovered his biggest stories, why money can be so hard to track, and why we need more journalists—now more than ever.
Please note: This episode was recorded prior to the Iowa caucuses and does not include information from the most recent FEC filing.
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In this special episode, Larry Lessig speaks with Ezra Klein, the Vox media founder and host of the Ezra Klein Show, at a live event in Boston. They discuss Ezra's new book "Why We're Polarized" and discuss why it's really the system and the parties—and not the particular policy disagreements between politicians or the public—that have made our democracy so dysfunctional.
The event was held in Back Bay in Boston and hosted by the Harvard bookstore. The audio is courtesy of the wonderful folks at the Forum Network at WGBH Boston. They are in the process of posting video from the event to https://forum-network.org/lectures/why-were-polarized-book-discussion-ezra-klein/.
You can support this podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/EqualCitizens, and you can find our whole archive online at equalcitizens.us/anotherway.
In this episode, Adam Eichen is joined by Beth Huang, executive director of Massachusetts Voter Table. The two discuss how the decennial census works, why it is so important, the difficulties involved in enumeration, and what groups are doing to ensure an accurate count. Ultimately, they argue, the census is about power and which voices are heard in our democracy. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EqualCitizens.
Equal Citizens founder Larry Lessig speaks with Tiffany Muller, the founder of End Citizens United. The unfortunate occasion is the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United. Tiffany explains not only the problems that big money has caused but also how we need a comprehensive solution that does more than just overturn Citizens United.
Larry Lessig speaks with Issue One's Nick Penniman about why Nick left journalism to begin tackling the problem of fixing our democracy. Nick then discusses the difference between putting policies on websites and having politicians prioritize real reform that would de-rig the system and enable real change to happen. And they discuss how to build a coalition across the left, right, and center to at last get the change that 80-90% of the public wants to see happen.
As a bonus episode, we bring your our recent conversation with Senator Bernie Sanders on all things democracy reform. Bernie sat down with Equal Citizens' Larry Lessig and reform advocate Zephyr Teachout to discuss gerrymandering, how to fix our broken campaign finance system, how to end corruption, and much more. Note that this episode was released early to Patreon subscribers. To subscribe, check out Patreon.com/EqualCitizens.
On this episode of the podcast, Adam Eichen is joined by Nick Nyhart, a longtime advocate for public financing of elections. Nick recounts the largely forgotten period of time (1996-2005) when a handful of states adopted public financing measures and the possibilities for reform seemed truly auspicious. The two then deconstruct where things went wrong and why, despite the setbacks, there is reason to be hopeful.
In our last episode of 2019, Jason and Adam hold their "equality of citizenship" awards show to recap the good and bad of democracy reform in 2019. Who or what made things more equal this year? What made it less equal? What are we watching for in 2020? You'll have to listen to find out!
On the first part of a two-part year-end extravaganza, Jason and Adam discuss democracy-related results from the November elections, Equal Citizens' participation in the MOFA awards, and they give a little bit of credit—just a little bit—to the debate moderators from November's debate.
Comedian Paul Rodriguez and politician Rocky Chavez join Equal Citizens' Jason Harrow for a discussion about why they support a popular vote for President as California Republicans—and why they joined Equal Citizens' lawsuit trying to abolish winner-take-all for just that reason. They also discuss why they are in the minority as Latino Republicans, how the need to raise money makes it hard for politicians to respond to constituents' needs, and more.
This week, Diet for a Small Planet author Frances Moore Lappé joins Adam Eichen to discuss her reasons for joining the democracy reform movement, her theories on democracy, and why she feels hopeful in the current political moment. Lappé is the author or co-author of 19 books about world hunger, democracy, and the environment, and she is the principal of the Small Planet Institute.
This week, Adam Eichen talks with political strategist Kyle Bailey about the incredible fight to bring ranked-choice voting (RCV) to Maine. They discuss how to get voters to respond to the bipartisan message that we must improve our democracy, and how to win a fight that incumbent politicians of both parties are resistant to.
Larry Lessig speaks to John Pudner of Take Back Our Republic about the bipartisan need for democracy reform. Pudner is a Republican political strategist who talks about how democracy reform is consistent with conservative principles, the need to reduce politicians' reliance on lobbyists, the rise of "SCAMPacs," and more.
Larry Lessig talks with Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney about his nuanced view of why Congress is so broken and so badly polarized. They talk about money in politics, campaign finance reform, the need of Congresspeople to constantly be raising money, the impact of gerrymandering, and other innovative ideas to improve our democracy. They also discuss the issue of whether—and why—it's important to make fixing our democracy a high priority.
On a bonus episode, Jason and Adam recap a recent Equal Citizens event where Republican Presidential candidate endorsed major ideas of democracy reform and even pledged to fix democracy first. Jason and Adam discuss what this means for the movement and the 2020 presidential race. You can livestream the whole Weld event on Facebook at Facebook.com/EqualCitizens or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2zIovQZ_Uw.
This week, Joan Mandle, Executive Director of Democracy Matters, joins Adam Eichen to discuss the role that students play in the Democracy Movement and how to get more of them involved moving forward. If you know a student who would like to be trained as a democracy organizer, visit www.democracymatters.org.
Jason Harrow is joined this week by Sam Berger to talk about key topics on the democracy reform agenda. Sam is the Vice President of Democracy and Government Reform at Center for American Progress, a leading left-leaning think tank. The two go deep into the weeks of public financing of campaigns, gerrymandering, and HR 1 2.0—that is, the next version of this critical bill. You can now be a Patron of the podcast! Go to patreon.com/EqualCitizens to find out more. We appreciate any support you can give.
In a bonus episode, Jason and Adam of Equal Citizens discuss how democracy issues came up in the last Democratic debate, and then they deliver a knowledge drop about Ohio voter rolls. And they announce that you can now become a Patron of Another Way by going to Patreon.com/EqualCitizens. Join now!
Larry Lessig talks with Montana Governor and presidential candidate Steve Bullock about fighting corruption as a red state governor, including Bullock's problems with Citizens United, his efforts to overturn it or get around it, and his plans to increase disclosure and transparency in political funding. They also discuss Bullock's novel plan to end constant campaigning and give politicians space to govern.
Larry Lessig begins the episode with a plea to focus on campaign finance reform. Then, Larry talks to U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Michael Bennet on how to create enduring democracy reforms that can unclog what he calls a "paralyzed Congress."
This week, Katie Fahey of The People, a Michigan-based advocacy group, talks with Larry Lessig about how she wrote a Facebook post asking if anyone else wanted to take on gerrymandering in Michigan…and then found herself leading a successful movement that passed a ballot measure to actually end gerrymandering in Michigan.
This week, Adam Eichen speaks with Rabbi Michael Pollack, co-founder of the Pennsylvania-based pro-democracy organization March on Harrisburg. The two discuss the role spiritual leaders can play in the fight for reform, March on Harrisburg's history and tactics, and how the group's work could be replicated across the nation.
On this week's special episode, Larry Lessig talks with Representative John Sarbanes. Sarbanes is the lead author of HR 1, which passed the House in March and, if passed by the Senate and signed by the President, would fundamentally alter the way politicians raise money and would improve our democracy in ways big and small. Sarbanes discusses the origin of HR 1, why he thinks that the way most politicians raise money is so harmful, and why the bill is so urgently needed.
This week, we are proud to bring you a recording of a live conversation between Larry Lessig and Democratic Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard. The two sat down in front of a live audience in New Hampshire on September 6 and talked about the state of our democracy, ranked choice voting (RCV), the electoral college, money in politics, and much more. This event was part of Equal Citizens’ democracy town hall series, which is made possible with the support of The Leadership Now Project.
In this episode, Adam Eichen speaks with University of Kentucky Law Professor Joshua Douglas about the growing movement for democracy reform, the policies that are working in states and locales across the country, and his new book, Vote for US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting.
Jason and Adam of Equal Citizens talk about last week's big decision in which a federal appellate court said that presidential electors are constitutionally free to vote for whatever they candidate they choose. They discuss the legal reasoning, the practical impact, what comes next, and how it might help the democracy reform movement. Note: Jason's audio isn't great for the first 10 minutes, but it greatly improves after that. Bear with us!
Larry Lessig talks with political consultant and CNN contributor Paul Begala about why democracy reform is necessary to make progress on so many important issues, and how to make fundamental reform issues relevant to the real lives of everyday voters.
Larry Lessig talks to South Dakota 2018 gubernatorial candidate Billie Sutton about his history in bronc riding and his political career fighting corruption and running a grassroots, small-dollar campaign in South Dakota. (Note: We apologize to listeners and to Billie about the poor quality audio on this call. We are working to improve audio quality for future episodes.)
Equal Citizens’ director Jason Harrow and campaigns manager Adam Eichen are joined by with Salon founder Dave Daley to discuss why debate moderators continue to ignore questions about voting rights, gerrymandering, campaign finance, and other democracy reform topics. Then, Jason and Adam break down the candidates’ statements that nonetheless addressed these topics.
With Larry Lessig on vacation, Adam Eichen, Naomi Truax, and Danny Holt, all of Equal Citizens, discuss the POTUS1 project. This project tracks presidential candidates’ views on democracy reform issues like gerrymandering, voter registration, the electoral college, and campaign finance reform. The trio take the candidates in order from candidates who are actively anti-democracy (President Trump) to the candidates who have the very best platforms on these issues. You can review all the candidates’ positions on these issues at https://equalcitizens.us/potus1/.
Evan McMullin came to national prominence when he ran for president in 2016 as an independent, anti-Trump conservative. Since the 2016 election, he has been a strong and principled independent voice on many issues. This week, he speaks to Larry Lessig about how to find common ground to rebuild and improve our democracy, which he believes is “under threat” right now. He says he is excited about the possibility of forming a cross-partisan coalition for gerrymandering reform, ranked-choice voting, and more.
Voting rights have always been contentious in America, and our era is no different. Larry Lessig digs deeply into the past and present of voting in America with Ari Berman, a senior reporter at Mother Jones and the author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson candidate joins Larry Lessig this week to talk about why she’s running and how she would restore our democracy by making every voice equal and reducing the influence of big money and big corporations.
Dave Daley joins Larry Lessig this week to talk about the past, present, and future of gerrymandering. They discuss the nefarious mechanisms and effects of drawing district lines for maximal partisan advantage. Dave is a senior fellow at FairVote and former editor of Salon.com and is also the author of Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count.
Just in time for the first Democratic debates, Larry Lessig talks with Beto O’Rourke about the candidate’s plans to fix our democracy. O’Rourke explains his plans to expand voting rights and get 15 million more people to vote and to reduce the influence of special interests. He also expresses support for learning more about ranked-choice voting (RCV). Importantly, O’Rourke also reveals that democracy reform will be the first thing he does in office.
Larry Lessig is joined this episode by Professor Ned Foley of Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law. Larry and Professor Foley talk about the somewhat unknown history of the electoral college and whether the Framers’ expectations have been fulfilled or thwarted today.
This week on Another Way, Larry Lessig is joined by Democratic Senator and Presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand. Larry and Senator Gillibrand discuss her plan to reduce corruption by giving every voter democracy dollars in each federal election. They also discuss the importance of fundamental reform, and Senator Gillibrand commits to making this a key part of her platform. They begin with a few details of her life and career.
How will we make fundamental democracy reform a key part of election 2020? Join us each week to find out.