Electionwise | Podcasts | Radio | Minnesota Public Radio

About the Podcast

Questions and answers are flying this election year, and the media are trying to keep up. But from time to time we miss something. If you have a nagging question about the election, the candidates or the issues — a question you haven't seen answered elsewhere — MPR's Electionwise podcast is here to help.

Each week we take a question from our audience and dig up an answer. Submit your question and subscribe to the podcast to see if it gets answered.

To subscribe, click here or paste this URL into your podcast software:

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/tools/podcasts/electionwise.xml

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Recent Episodes

What does it feel like to be a "lame duck?"
Like other lame ducks, we want to cram a lot into our last five minutes. (4:36s)

Why can you vote without showing ID?
If you're registered to vote in Minnesota, all you have to do is sign your name and head to the ballot box. But some other states now require a photo ID. (5:27s)

Why do recounts tend to favor Democrats?
Recounts do tend to favor Democrats. But the outcome of Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount is particularly hard to predict. (5:18s)

Did my absentee vote count?
Norm Coleman and Al Franken's campaigns are battling over rejected absentee ballots. And that has some voters wondering if their absentee ballots were rejected. (4:52s)

Who gets Obama's seat and extra cash?
Three short answers to three quick questions: What happens to Obama's Senate seat? What about his left over campaign money? And why do we talk about red states and blue states? (5:03s)

So how did that election turn out, anyway?
The biggest question of the year has now been answered. Well, almost. (4:33s)

Does your news diet influence your politics?
News audiences are becoming increasingly polarized. Does your news diet shape your politics? Or do your politics shape what you watch? (4:39s)

Who's paying for all these negative ads?
More than $42 million have been spent on political TV advertising in the Twin Cities. But only half is paid for by the candidates. Who's paying for the rest? (6:11s)

Who wins an electoral college tie?
It's not likely but it is possible for John McCain and Barack Obama to each get exactly the same number of electoral votes. How would they break the tie? (5:07s)

Why is Congress so easy to hate?
Even when the President has very low approval ratings, Congress' are even lower. Why is Congress so unpopular? And why do most of the people serving in Congress still get reelected? (4:38s)

Why do we vote on a Tuesday?
Why don't we vote on the weekend? Or on a holiday? (4:27s)

Are the candidates willing to touch "The Third Rail?"
Social Security isn't called "The Third Rail" of American Politics for nothing. (5:24s)

Can the candidates pay for their promises?
John McCain and Barack Obama are both promising big tax cuts and spending initiatives. They both talk about balanced budgets, but are either of them proposing one? (6:11s)

Who else is running for President?
You've heard of McCain. You've heard of Obama. But did you know that there will be five other presidential candidates on the Minnesota ballot? Electionwise introduces you to a few of them. (5:53s)

RNC Special: The conventions in three minutes
Did you miss anything during the conventions? We tell you everything important that happened on stage. In three minutes flat. (4:08s)

DNC Special: What makes news at a convention?
Much of what happens at a convention is laid out far before the event actually begins. But with 15,000 members of the media there, they're digging up news everywhere they can. (6:13s)

How much pollution do conventions create?
Both the RNC and DNC are touting how green they are. But what would planet Earth say? (5:39s)

Can campaign correspondents catch Stockholm syndrome?
NPR reporters Don Gonyea and Scott Horsley explain how they maintain their objectivity on the campaign trail. (5:38s)

What would the presidential candidates do for the environment?
Both candidates have said they will act to address climate change, but how different are their approaches? (5:24s)

What's the "tceffE yeldarB"?
For the first time, we have a black candidate running for president and the "Bradley Effect" could affect the accuracy of polls. But what about the "Reverse Bradley Effect?" (5:53s)

Have American campaigns always been dirty?
Smear campaigns are as old as politics itself and new technologies have only made matters worse. But is there an upside to dirty politics? (6:50s)

How do the candidates differ on immigration?
Both Barack Obama and John McCain supported the failed 2007 immigration reform bill. Since then, John McCain has shifted somewhat on the issue. But New York Times immigration reporter Julia Preston says that immigration reform is unlikely to be at the top of the next administration's agenda - whether Democrat or Republican. (5:48s)

Where do the candidates stand on abortion?
The candidates tiptoe toward the middle as they try to keep their bases happy. Is there a middle ground on abortion? (5:48s)

How do you spot a likely voter?
After a primary season marked by record turnouts, are pollsters having trouble identifying likely voters? (5:41s)

Why so many lawyers in Congress?
An attorney, a bussinesswoman, a social worker and a teacher all argue their professions provide the best training for being a lawmaker. (6:04s)

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