Ballot to Talk About

This week’s episode breaks down results from elections in three Canadian provinces and looks ahead to an upcoming snap polling day in Nova Scotia. Sam and Chern discuss differing fortunes for incumbents in British Columbia, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan as the federal parties look ahead to the imminent election. Why did incumbents survive in BC and Saskatchewan in an anti-incumbent international environment? Can anyone dislodge the Saskatchewan Party? Why did Tim Houston call a snap election in Nova Scotia? And what are the takeaways from these four Autumn elections for the federal parties with an election around the corner?  All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode

This week’s episode discusses the results from the US Presidential and Congressional elections that saw Donald Trump return to the White House and his Republican Party seemingly take full control of Congress. How did Trump become only the second person to win two non-consecutive presidential terms? What do the Democrats need to do next? Why did down ballot Democrats so significantly outperform Kamala Harris? And did Joe Biden’s late decision to withdraw harm Democratic chances? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week’s episode discusses results from legislative elections in both Lithuania and Japan. In Lithuania, the Social Democrats have topped the polls, ending Ingrida Šimonytė’s premiership. How did they manage to win the election? What will the next Government look like, and who will be Prime Minister? In Japan, new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s snap election gamble has backfired. Why did the LDP do so badly by historical standards? Is Ishiba’s premiership doomed before it has even started? And what coalition may they seek? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week, Sam and Chern dissect results from two regional elections in Australia, in the ACT and Queensland. In the ACT, the Labor Party continued their dominance, but there is a change of the guard in Queensland, with the Liberals preventing a fourth Labor term. Can Labor be beaten in the ACT? Why did they lose control in Queensland? What will the federal implications be with a federal election due next year? And are the Greens under threat from Independent campaigns? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week’s episode continues the preview of the upcoming elections in the US, focussing on the Gubernatorial races and the Harris-Trump presidential contest at the top of the ticket. Sam and Chern unpack the state of the race heading into the final few weeks. What have been the main themes of the election? What are the states to watch out for? Are Harris or Trump riding coattails of any Gubernatorial or Senate candidates? What is the tipping point state? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week, Sam and Chern dissect results from the Austrian legislative election, and the presidential contest in Sri Lanka. In Austria, the Freedom Party came first for the first time, but why were they so popular in this cycle? Why did the Peoples Party perform so poorly? And despite this, why are they still the kingmakers in Government? In Sri Lanka, how did Anura Kumara Dissanayake triumph? What was the impact of the 2022 protests? And can he turn around the economic and political woes? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week, Sam and Chern unpack results from three German Landtag elections in the East of the country – Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. As the AfD scored their best regional results ever, what has been key to the far right’s success in Germany? Does the Brandenburg result suggest a glimmer of hope for the SPD on the federal level? Can the CDU cooperate with the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance in Government? And can the federal coalition survive this round of poor results? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week, Sam and Chern begin their preview of the upcoming US elections, focussing on the battle for Congress in the House and Senate. How has Biden’s decision to exit the presidential race affected the battle to control the legislative chambers? What are the competitive House districts and Senate seats that will decide control? Will there be any major examples of spilt-ticketing across the country, or has this reached yet another all-time low? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week, Sam and Chern turn their attention to Australia, reviewing the election in the Northern Territory, and previewing upcoming polls in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Queensland. In the Northern Territory, why did the Labor Party lose power so decisively? Why were the Country Liberals so successful? After a period of complete control of mainland Australia, is Labor’s star fading? Are Labor about to also lose control in Queensland for only the second time this century? Are the issues similar to the territory, and what might the federal impact be with a national election due next year? All these questions and more answered in t hisweek’s episode.

Returning earlier than expected for an emergency episode, Sam and Chern discuss Joe Biden’s historic decision to withdraw from the 2024 Presidential Election and the state of this renewed race. Why did Biden choose to withdraw from the race, and was it a surprise how quickly the party adopted Kamala Harris as the replacement? Why did Harris pick Tim Walz as her running mate? Is she re-forming the Biden 2020 electoral coalition? And what is the state of the race with just a few months remaining? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.