The Future of Our Former Democracy

Welcome to Season 3 of The Future of Our Former Democracy!

Colin is joined by new co-host Ruth Greenwood, director of Harvard Law School's Election Law Clinic and proud Australian expat, as the show heads Down Under. In Australia, elections are "boring, boring, boring," and voters across the political spectrum trust the results in a way Americans rarely do.

Colin and Ruth explore why.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

Dr. Marija Taflaga, Centre for the Study of Australian Politics, Australian National University and co-host of Democracy Sausage podcast about Australian Politics

Professor David Smith, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney

Professor Thalia Anthony, University of Technology Sydney

For more information on our electoral systems work, visit democracynow.org.

The Future of Our Former Democracy is a production of More Equitable Democracy and Mori Strategies.

For more information on More Equitable Democracy's work, please visit: https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/

Australia built its democracy on the American model, then kept revising it: the secret ballot, ranked-choice voting, proportional representation, and elections that Australians across the political spectrum actually trust. In our new season, we travel Down Under to explore how a country so similar to ours, including in its history of white supremacy and Indigenous genocide, ended up with a democracy that works so differently, and what the U.S. can learn from it.

Mila Atmos and Melissa Murray discuss the hidden power inside the U.S. Constitution, what it was designed to protect against, and how it can fortify American democracy today.

Melissa Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, and a legal analyst for MSNBC. Her new book is The US Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader.

Your civic action toolkit recommendations from Melissa are:

1) Commit to voting and follow through

2) Make your demands clear to your elected representatives

This bonus episode is a recording of a panel presentation from More Equitable Democracy's 2025 learning tour to Germany. The panel featured four international voices - immigrants, international students, and refugees - living in Germany today.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:  

- Hesham Moadamani, Office of Civic Engagement, Bard College Berlin

- Liza Nezhyva, Mriï Collective, Bard College Berlin

- Khalil Hammod, Alumni, Bard College Berlin

- Mariia Krychevska, Mriï Collective, Bard College Berlin

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠⁠

In this bonus episode, Berit, born in East Germany, and Khuê, born in West Berlin, share their respective perspectives and stories of growing up during German reunification.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:  

- ⁠⁠⁠Dr. Berit Ebert⁠⁠⁠, Bard College Berlin

- ⁠Khuê Phạm⁠, Author and journalist

⁠⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠⁠  

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠⁠

Throughout this season, we've heard excerpts from interviews and presentations that were part of a February 2025 learning tour organized by More Equitable Democracy. This tour brought US academics, racial justice advocates, and political reformers to Germany to see proportional representation in action during their national elections.

In our season 2 finale, some of the learning tour's participants share their reflections—not just about what they learned in Germany, but about what they intend to bring back home to their work in the US. Then, we visit Portland, Oregon, which in 2024 became the first major US city since the 1950s to use a system of proportional representation. We'll hear from community organizers, elections administrators, journalists, and candidates (both successful and less so) who ran under Portland's new system. Does Portland represent the future of our former democracy?

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:  

⁠⁠- Dr. Berit Ebert⁠⁠, Bard College Berlin

- Deb Otis, FairVote

- Professor Kevin Deegan-Krause, Voters Not Politicians

- LaShanda Jackson, Philanthropic Advisor

- Neal Ubriani, Institute for Responsive Government

- Professor Spencer Overton, Multiracial Democracy Project

- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh⁠, The Oregonian

- Leah Benson, Multnomah County Elections Division

- Andrés Oswill, Oregon Futures Lab

- Sameer Kanal, Portland City Councilmember

- Tiffany Koyama Lane, Portland City Councilmember

- Steph Routh, 2024 Candidate for Portland City Council

- Hermann "Bobby" Grampp, ⁠⁠Berlin-based historian and music critic⁠

- Nicola Hieke⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Landeskoordinierungstelle Bayern gegen Rechtsextremismus⁠⁠ (Bavaria State Coordination Office Against Right-Wing Extremism)

- Professor Doctor Magnus Brechtken⁠, ⁠⁠Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History⁠

Referenced works:

The Oregonian: "Portland’s ranked-choice debut sees voter engagement crater"

Portland Mercury: "Portland’s Ranked Choice Voting Was a Success (Despite What the Oregonian Claims)"

More Equitable Democracy: ⁠2025 Portland Learning Symposium ⁠⁠⁠"Lift Every Voice"

Data and Democracy Lab: Study of the 2024 STV City Council Election in Portland, Oregon

Salon: "⁠Sorry, haters: Ranked-choice voting produced the most diverse city council in NYC history⁠"

Additional links:

Oregon Public Broadcasting: "In East Portland, a light post offers hope for a change in City Hall representation"

Rose City Reform: "Diversity By Design - An analysis of Portland City Council’s 2025 voting record"

⁠⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠⁠  

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠⁠

For more information on Larj Media, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.larjmedia.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

While Germany makes a continuous effort to grapple with their past and practice remembrance of historic atrocities, there are still significant tensions today about German identity: what a German sounds like, what a German looks like, and what it means to be German.

Heather and Colin take a focused look at how identity shows up in the context of modern Germany's government. For immigrants, refugees, and ethnic minorities, how does the German system fare when it comes to a sense of belonging in society and representation in government? Is the grass any greener than in the US?

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:  

- Khuê Phạm, Author and Journalist

- Hesham Moadamani, Bard College Berlin

- Haşim Anık, Tour Guide

- Dr. Yaşar Aydın, German Institute for International and Security Affairs and Center for Applied Turkey Studies

USA Today: Does my country want me? Germany's historic far-right election gain worries me by Khuê Phạm

Study on "Heritage Cultural Identity" in Germany: Understanding Ethnic-Racial Identity in a Context Where “Race” Is Taboo

⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠  

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠

For more information on Larj Media, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.larjmedia.com/⁠⁠⁠ 

In Germany, as in the United States and much of Europe, there has been a rising surge of support for far-right populism and anti-democratic forces. This is exemplified in the growth of the far-right political party "Alternative for Germany" (AFD).

In this episode, Heather and Colin compare still-simmering political tensions between former East and West Germany with those between red and blue states in the US — and examine why German democracy has, so far, proven more resilient to authoritarianism than US democracy.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:  

Martin Lange, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tour with a Berliner⁠⁠

⁠Dr. Berit Ebert⁠, Bard College Berlin

Alec MacGillis, ProPublica

Nicola Hieke⁠, ⁠Landeskoordinierungstelle Bayern gegen Rechtsextremismus⁠ (Bavaria State Coordination Office Against Right-Wing Extremism)

⁠Professor Thomas Gschwend⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠University of Mannheim⁠

German Democratic Republic borders, 1949-1990

Map of German federal election results, 2025

The New Yorker: The Complicated Rise of the Right in Germany’s Left-Behind Places by Alec MacGillis

⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠  

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠

For more information on Larj Media, please visit: ⁠⁠https://www.larjmedia.com/⁠⁠ 

In this episode, Heather and Colin walk through how Hitler and the Nazi Party executed their plan to dismantle Germany democracy and, often under-examined, how German democracy was rebuilt after World War II. Most importantly, they explore electoral system design decisions made to prevent a party like the Nazis from ever coming to power again, including the 5% threshold and the so-called "firewall against the far-right" — in German, "die Brandmauer."

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:  

Timothy Ryback, The Atlantic

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Martin Lange, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tour with a Berliner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Jonny Pechstein⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Geschichte für Alle⁠

Dr. Berit Ebert, Bard College Berlin

⁠⁠Professor Thomas Gschwend⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠University of Mannheim⁠

⁠⁠⁠Nicola Hieke⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Landeskoordinierungstelle Bayern gegen Rechtsextremismus⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Bavaria State Coordination Office Against Right-Wing Extremism)

Brendan MacGurk, Tour Guide (to arrange a private tour, email inquiries to bmacgurk(at)web(dot)de)

Professor Doctor Magnus Brechtken, ⁠Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History⁠

By Timothy Ryback:

The Atlantic: ⁠How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days⁠

The Atlantic: ⁠The Oligarchs Who Came to Regret Supporting Hitler⁠

Timothy's forthcoming book: 53 Days: How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy, The Atlantic Monthly Press, publishing September 2026.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠⁠  

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠⁠

For more information on Larj Media, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.larjmedia.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Many people know that the Nazis came to power in 1933 under Germany's democratic system, but fewer people know how they got there in the first place. In this episode, Colin and Heather explore the economic and social conditions that led to the birth of Germany's first democracy — and why it quickly came crashing to an end.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:  

Brendan MacGurk, Tour Guide (to arrange a private tour, email inquiries to bmacgurk(at)web(dot)de)

Hermann "Bobby" Grampp, ⁠Berlin-based historian and music critic⁠

⁠⁠⁠Martin Lange, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tour with a Berliner⁠⁠⁠

Dr. Finn Ballard, ⁠Finn Ballard Tours⁠

⁠Nicola Hieke⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Landeskoordinierungstelle Bayern gegen Rechtsextremismus⁠⁠ (Bavaria State Coordination Office Against Right-Wing Extremism)

Excerpt from the 1998 Broadway revival of "Cabaret"

⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠  

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠

For more information on Larj Media, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.larjmedia.com/⁠⁠⁠