Presidential Primary Turnout (16:45)

Dr. Lonna Atkeson is a Professor in the political science department at the University of New Mexico. During this current presidential election, many articles have circulated on the perceived enthusiasm of the Republican party compared to the low turnout on the part of the democratic party. However, according to Dr. Lonna Atkeson, “Differences in turnout aren't necessarily the result of differing levels of enthusiasm. In fact, turnout in party primary contests are largely explained by a party's "position" in the electoral cycle.” Dr. Atkeson analyzed turnout in primary elections in each presidential election cycle since 2004, calculating voter turnout by the number of primary voters divided by an estimate of the eligible population using a normal party vote measure. So what causes a greater turnout? What motivates these voters? And what does this mean for the results? Dr. Atkeson explains.

Colors of Cosplay (41:02)

Madeleine Dresden is a student producer at BYU radio who specializes in writing nonfiction segments about unique life experiences and life lessons. We’ve all got that one thing that we’re super nerdy about: Superheroes, Harry Potter, or maybe Japanese anime. And sometimes, we get the chance to do more than just imagine our favorite heroes—we get to dress up as them! There’s Halloween for that, of course, but let’s not forget the ever-growing phenomenon that is known as Comic-Con. The San Diego Comic-Con alone boasts more than 130,000 attendees per conference. And for all those attendees, perhaps the most attractive part of Comic-Con is the chance to “cosplay,” which means to dress up as a fictional character, like we do on Halloween. But for some attendees, the experience of costuming can be a difficult one, especially when it exacerbates their feelings of racial dysphoria. Madeleine Dresden, our Life Lessons producer, discusses how difficult it can be to find the perfect costume as a non-white American. 

One Year To An Organized Life (1:04:48)

Regina Leeds, kn