Subjective

It's Election Day (or almost Election Day), and we're done preparing. Now it's time to vote!

In the final episode of Subjective's 2026 Voter Education Series, Donyelle walks you through everything you need to know before heading to the polls on November 3.

We're talking about how to find your polling place, what identification you need, what to expect when you arrive, and what to do if something goes wrong. From missing voter registrations and provisional ballots to mistakes on your ballot and long polling lines, this episode is your practical guide to navigating Election Day with confidence.Whether you're voting for the first time or you've been doing this for years, consider this your final Election Day checklist.

The 2026 Midterm Election is November 3 and this voter guide walks you through exactly what to do before Election Day, from checking your voter registration and researching your sample ballot to early voting, voter ID, absentee voting and making your actual voting plan.

In Part 3 of my 2026 Election Crash Course, we're talking about everything that happens after you understand what's on your ballot. I'll show you how to check your voter registration, find your actual ballot, research candidates and ballot measures, understand your state's voting rules and deadlines, decide how you're voting and prepare before you ever walk into the voting booth.

• 🎧 ⁠⁠⁠Catch the latest episode ⁠⁠⁠
• 🗳️ ⁠⁠⁠Get voter-ready⁠⁠⁠
• 📰 ⁠⁠⁠See my favorite news + research sources⁠⁠⁠
• 💌 ⁠⁠⁠Read more on Substack⁠⁠⁠
• 💬 Join the conversation on Threads: @donyellemurray
• 📱 Follow Subjective on IG, TikTok + Facebook: @thesubjectivepod

In this episode we're breaking down who actually has power over what in government—from Congress and the President to governors, state legislatures, mayors, city councils, county commissioners, sheriffs, school boards, and the people running government agencies behind the scenes.

We're also getting into why the President isn't the governor's boss, why a mayor's power can look completely different depending on the city, how political party control affects what government can actually get done, and why sometimes the person getting blamed for something doesn't even have the authority to fix it.

Because when you're deciding who deserves your vote, knowing their name and political party isn't enough. You should also know: What job am I actually hiring this person to do? What power will they have if they win? And who else has to cooperate with them to make the things they're promising actually happen?

• 🎧 ⁠⁠Catch the latest episode ⁠⁠
• 🗳️ ⁠⁠Get voter-ready⁠⁠
• 📰 ⁠⁠See my favorite news + research sources⁠⁠
• 💌 ⁠⁠Read more on Substack⁠⁠
• 💬 Join the conversation on Threads: @_donyellemurray
• 📱 Follow Subjective on IG, TikTok + Facebook: @thesubjectivepod

Ever pull up your ballot and immediately wonder what the hell you're looking at?

In the first episode of my voting series, we're breaking down how to actually understand your ballot—from the U.S. Senate and House to state legislators, county commissioners, city council races, judges, school boards, ballot measures and all those completely different district numbers.

Using one imaginary Charlotte voter named Tyrone, I'm walking through why certain races appear on your ballot, how your address determines who you get to vote for, why your friend's ballot might look completely different from yours, and why having U.S. House District 12, State Senate District 40 and State House District 102 is actually normal.

We also get into statewide vs. district races, what “at large” means, the difference between your district, precinct and polling place, and why pulling your sample ballot before Election Day can make voting a whole lot less chaotic.

You don't need to become a political scientist. You just need to be able to look at your ballot and understand what you're being asked to decide.

Because before we talk about who you should vote for, it helps to understand what the hell you're voting for in the first place.

• 🎧 ⁠Catch the latest episode ⁠
• 🗳️ ⁠Get voter-ready⁠
• 📰 ⁠See my favorite news + research sources⁠
• 💌 ⁠Read more on Substack⁠
• 💬 Join the conversation on Threads: @_donyellemurray
• 📱 Follow Subjective on IG, TikTok + Facebook: @thesubjectivepod

I took a little break, the internet kept interneting, and now we have a lot to catch up on.

In this episode of Subjective, we’re talking about the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl three years later, Hunter Biden’s unfiltered media tour, Saucy Santana and the repost that raised questions, Tuskegee’s bonnet and durag rules, Howard University unenrolling hundreds of students, and the debate over how much grace we owe people going through difficult circumstances.

We also get into the unanswered questions surrounding Nolan Wells’ death, Carlos Dixon hijacking a police press conference, Ryan Clark opening up about code-switching at ESPN, whether calling out problems online actually counts as advocacy, and Jools Lebron’s $45,000 dental GoFundMe.

Plus: why I think professionalism has very little to do with how you look, why your reposts might tell me exactly who you are, and why you might as well be yourself at work because…you could get fired anyway.

• 🎧 Catch the latest episode
• 🗳️ Get voter-ready
• 📰 See my favorite news + research sources
• 💌 Read more on Substack
• 💬 Join the conversation on Threads: @_donyellemurray
• 📱 Follow Subjective on IG, TikTok + Facebook: @thesubjectivepod

In this episode, I explain the difference between human rights, personal beliefs, and politics using a simple framework: a shared apartment building.

Human rights are the foundation.

Personal beliefs live inside your apartment.

Politics is building management.

The confusion between these layers is why so many political conversations break down.

And why some disagreements aren’t really disagreements at all.

—

🖤 JOIN THE SUBJECTIVE COMMUNITY:

• → 🎧 Listen on Spotify/Apple: https://beacons.ai/subjectivepod⁠
• → 📰 All of my fav sources: https://beacons.ai/thesubjectivepod/sources
• → 📝 Read the newsletter/Substack: https://thesubjectivepod.substack.com/⁠
• → 📲 IG / TikTok: @TheSubjectivePod
• → 📸 IG @_DonyelleMurray
• → 📥 Business: [email protected]

✨ Reviews help us grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for your support!

Most of us were never taught how to actually stay informed, we just learned to react to whatever showed up in our feeds. This episode breaks down what being informed actually means (versus what social media has trained us to think it means), why the current information landscape is designed to keep you reactive instead of clear, and how to build a sustainable information practice that doesn't wreck your nervous system. We're talking about the difference between information and noise, how to vet sources without becoming a media scholar, and why preparedness looks nothing like constant vigilance. This isn't about consuming more, it's about processing better.

After stepping away to recalibrate, I’m back — and Subjective is entering a new era.

This episode is a re-introduction and orientation for the podcast moving forward. I explain why the original format no longer worked, what changed for me, and why this show now focuses on breaking down politics, policy, current events, and systems in plain language.

—🖤 JOIN THE SUBJECTIVE COMMUNITY:→ 🎧 Listen on Spotify/Apple: https://beacons.ai/subjectivepod⁠ → 📝 Read the newsletter/Substack: https://thesubjectivepod.substack.com/⁠ → 📲 IG / TikTok: @TheSubjectivePod→ 📸 IG @_DonyelleMurray → 📥 Business: [email protected]✨ Reviews help us grow and reach more listeners. Thank you for your support!

What happens when you’re still figuring out who you are, but you already have kids depending on you?

In this continuation of one of the most personal conversations yet, Donyelle and her mother go even deeper into the realities of young motherhood — the unspoken fears, the resilience it demanded, and the lessons that only come with time and reflection.

In part two, her mom shares the aftermath of becoming a mother at 16: the ongoing challenges of balancing survival with growth, how faith and community continued to hold her up, and the moments she had to choose between her own becoming and showing up for her kids.

Together, they wrestle with the complicated truths of “growing up together” — what that looked like in practice, what it cost, and how it shaped both of them.

This isn’t just the rest of the story; it’s an unfiltered look at resilience, healing, and the generational strength that continues to ripple forward.

—🖤 JOIN THE SUBJECTIVE COMMUNITY:

→ 🎧 Listen on ⁠Spotify/Apple⁠

→ 📝 Read the newsletter/⁠Substack⁠

→ 📲 IG / TikTok: @TheSubjectivePod

→ 📸 IG @_DonyelleMurray

→ 📥 Business: [email protected]

✨ Reviews help us grow and reach more listeners, thank you for your support!

What happens when you’re still figuring out who you are, but you already have kids depending on you?

In this episode of the Subjective podcast, Donyelle sits down with her mother for one of the most personal conversations yet, an honest reflection and real story of what it looks like when a mother is still figuring herself out while raising kids at the same time.

They reflect on young motherhood: the fear, the strength, and the survival tactics no one prepares you for. Her mom opens up about telling her family she was pregnant at 16, the relief of having her own mother as a support system, and the constant tension between growing into womanhood while raising children.

She shares moments where she felt unequipped, how community and faith carried her, and the quiet strength it took to show up for her kids every day, even when life behind closed doors was crumbling.Together, they unpack what it meant to “grow up together”.

This isn’t just a story about motherhood; it’s about survival, resilience, and the complicated ways love and strength get passed down from one generation to the next.

—🖤 JOIN THE SUBJECTIVE COMMUNITY:

→ 🎧 Listen on Spotify/Apple

→ 📝 Read the newsletter/Substack

→ 📲 IG / TikTok: @TheSubjectivePod

→ 📸 IG @_DonyelleMurray

→ 📥 Business: [email protected]

✨ Reviews help us grow and reach more listeners, thank you for your support!