Each week, Ballotpedia's election experts unpack the week's top political stories. Ballotpedia's here to give you the facts, so you can form your own opinion.
On this episode:The Washington DC Council faces an unprecedented situation as Ward 8 holds a special election on July 15th following the expulsion of Trayon White, the first council member ever removed from office in the district's history. White, who was charged with federal bribery in August after allegedly being caught on video accepting cash envelopes in exchange for steering city contracts, won reelection with roughly ¾’s of the vote in November 2024 before being unanimously expelled by his colleagues. Now running to reclaim his seat against three challengers—advisory neighborhood commissioner Salima Dofo, former mayoral aide Sheila Bunn, and attorney Mike Austin, to name a few—White's potential return creates a complex political dilemma for the council. The situation is further complicated by President Trump's recent threats to take over DC's government and the symbolic significance of Ward 8 as the political base of former mayor Marion Barry. Council members must weigh whether to expel White again if he wins, risking backlash from Ward 8 voters who have twice supported him, while considering the broader implications for federal interference and the district's reputation as White's federal trial looms in January 2026. WAMU D.C. Politics Reporter Alex Kamu joins the show to bring us inside the story.
Stream On The Ballot on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts:
RECENT EPISODES
To mark our 200th episode, Ballotpedia Founder and CEO Leslie Graves joins Host Norm Leahy for the debut of our new monthly series Office Hours. Leslie outlines her ambitious vision to cover all 520,000 elected offices in the U.S. by 2034, explains the mission behind Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, and makes the case for why voters deserve “robust information” at every level of the ballot.
Annie McDonough, City Hall reporter for City & State NY, joins us to break down the key dynamics shaping the race. We discuss the role of ranked-choice voting, early turnout patterns, and how incumbent Mayor Eric Adams—no longer seeking the Democratic nomination—plans to stay on the ballot in November.
Brent Johnson, a political reporter for NJ.com, breaks down what the primary results reveal about New Jersey’s political landscape, the dynamics of the upcoming general election, and the state-level issues and national forces likely to influence the race ahead. Plus — what to watch in the down-ballot contests voters will be weighing in on this November.
Constitutional scholar Sai Prakash explores the origins, evolution, and modern realities of presidential power. Drawing on historical debates from the Constitutional Convention, Prakash outlines how early framers envisioned a limited executive—primarily tasked with enforcing laws—and how that vision has shifted over time.
As of May 6, 2025, fourteen members of Congress had announced they will not seek re-election in 2026. This group includes five senators—three Democrats and one Republican—and nine representatives, comprising four Democrats and five Republicans. These early announcements mark the second-highest number of congressional retirements at this point in the election cycle since 2018, indicating a significant shift in the upcoming political landscape.What’s that all mean for the 2026 midterms?
As school districts adjust to the end of federal COVID relief funding and new policies under President Donald Trump’s administration, many are navigating budget shortfalls, shifting enrollment trends, and tough financial trade-offs. Dr. Marguerite Roza — Director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University — joins the show to break down how education funding works, who makes key budget decisions, and what challenges districts are facing this year.
Cryptocurrency has evolved from a niche experiment into a disruptive force with global implications—and U.S. financial institutions, lawmakers, and regulators are working to establish clear crypto-related policy. In this interview with former CFTC Chairman Chris Giancarlo, we unpack the state of crypto policy in 2025: The political realignment around digital assets, the rapid growth of stablecoins, the future of tokenized securities, and the debate over whether the U.S. should adopt a central bank digital currency or establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve.
In some places, unofficial election results are nearly complete by the end of Election Day. In others, it can take election officials days or even weeks to finish the count. The factors that slow down or speed up ballot counting come into sharper focus when comparing California and Florida — two states with high levels of early and mail voting, but dramatically different reporting speeds. Their approaches offer a window into the broader tradeoffs between delivering faster results and protecting voter access, election accuracy, and public trust.
