Dan Wu is the first Asian American to serve as Vice Mayor of Lexington. He served on numerous local boards before winning election as Vice Mayor, but before that, he had little experience in politics, instead opening his own ramen shop and appearing on the TV show Master Chef. Wu has become a passionate advocate for civic engagement.

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Ben Sheehan, host, writer, and producer of “Civics Made Easy,” a series on PBS that empowers viewers with the knowledge necessary to participate in democracy. He also writes a Substack titled “Politics Made Easy.” He is the author of the best-selling book, “What Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy is Supposed to Work.”

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Democracy is about representation. Elected officials should fairly represent the interests of their constituents. But what causes someone to run in the first place? What is it like when they first take office? And how does it feel when you enter the halls of government, especially in the minority party?  Here to give us an inside view of how democracy and representation actually work is Anne Donworth, who represents the 76th district, which covers much of Lexington, in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

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Disputes over redistricting have gone into overdrive as some states have engaged in what we call mid-decade redistricting or re-redistricting. These states drew the lines for congressional seats back in 2021, which are supposed to last for the entire decade. But, spurred by President Trump, Texas redrew its map to turn five seats that were more favorable to Democrats into ones more winnable for Republicans. In response, California put a measure on the ballot in November to redraw its own map to make five Republican-leaning districts into Democratic ones. It’s a race to the bottom with partisan gerrymandering run rampant. And it could have a major impact on which party controls Congress after the 2026 midterm elections. 

 Missouri is also part of the fight, redrawing its map to split up the Kansas City area into several districts, which will likely flip one seat from Democratic to Republican. Lawsuits have predictably ensued.

Joining us to discuss that mid-decade redistricting in Missouri and the litigation over the map is Denise Lieberman. She is the Director & General Counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, a non-partisan organization that works to advance free, fair, and accessible elections in Missouri. She is also the Faculty Director of the Voter Access and Engagement Initiative at Washington University in St. Louis. 

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After the November 2024 election, numerous stories emerged about how voter turnout was high—the second-highest in a century, in fact, second only to 2020. Yet turnout nationwide was under 64 percent. Over 1/3 of eligible voters did not show up. How can we celebrate strong voter engagement or an electoral mandate when more people didn’t vote than voted for the winner?  But at least one state has consistently been among the top in voter turnout. Minnesota, the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, has a strong culture of democratic engagement. Joining us to discuss Minnesota’s success is its Secretary of State, Steve Simon. Secretary Simon is a former five-time member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and has been elected to the office of Secretary of State three times. Secretary Simon is particularly proud of his state’s record on voter turnout.  

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People hear the phrase “civics education,” and they often think of K-12 classes in government. States have enacted laws that require high school students to be able to pass the same citizenship test that new citizens must take. What can we do to ensure civics is not just something we discuss briefly in school but instead is a lifelong endeavor? Our guest, Donna Cohen, is a former educator and librarian in Oregon. She runs a program called “Civics for Adults,” which includes interactive in-person or virtual workshops that provide nonpartisan information about the political process and civic engagement.

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Corey Brettschneider, a professor of political science at Brown University, teaches law and political theory. He’s the author of multiple books, most recently, The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It. He’s also the co-host of a new podcast, The Oath and the Office.

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Jennifer Mercieca is a historian of American political rhetoric and a Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Texas A&M University. She writes about American political discourse, especially as it relates to citizenship, democracy, and the presidency, and has published three books: Founding Fictions, The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency, and Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump. Her work aims to make our communication with one another more democratic.

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It’s not a stretch to say that the Supreme Court plays an outsized role in our democracy, determining the scope of various rights, such as abortion, immigration, and the right to vote. We hear a lot about how the current Supreme Court focuses on originalism, or the idea that it must interpret the Constitution just how the Framers would have understood it. Under this theory, judges should not really consider how a constitutional principle might operate in today’s society. Instead, they must figure out the original public meaning of a word or clause and interpret the phrase consistently with that understanding. Supporters of originalism say that it limits judges, forcing them to consider the Framers’ views instead of their own opinions.

How did the Court fully embrace this idea? Is it the proper way to construe the Constitution? Joining Josh Douglas to discuss the reasons behind the Court’s current approach is Madiba Dennie. She’s the Deputy Editor and Senior Contributor at the critical legal commentary outlet Balls and Strikes. She’s also the author of the new book, “The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back.”

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As the saying goes, history is bound to repeat itself. America has gone through tumultuous periods in its past. The Constitutional Convention included heated debates about the core ideals of our democracy. We have endured the Civil War, the Jim Crow era, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights movement, and so much more. Many think we are in another significant period of change and turmoil. How should history inform our understanding of today’s Democracy? What lessons can we learn to help sustain our system, particularly in light of the current threats? Joining Josh Douglas to discuss those issues is author, historian, and professor Heather Cox Richardson. Heather is a professor at Boston College, teaching several courses on American history. Her most recent book is Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, where she traces the history of our democracy to its roots, using the past as a lesson for our future. She also publishes the newsletter Letters from an American, where she examines current political developments

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