Australia Has A Lot To Teach America About Democracy
Publisher |
WBEZ
Media Type |
audio
Categories Via RSS
Publication Date |
Sep 23, 2024
Episode Duration |
00:45:18
Reset executive producer Dan Tucker shares his takeaways from a recent reporting trip to Australia. Unlike the U.S., the country has a rich history of changing its voting system to create a more representative government and a more democratic society. As a result, voting is mandatory in Australia, voters rank candidates from multiple parties, the Senate uses proportional representation and an independent commission administers federal elections. So, how do these systems work? And could they work in the U.S.? In this episode you’ll hear from: Judith Brett, author of “From Secret Ballot To Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting”; Samantha Ratnam, member of parliament in the state of Victoria for the Greens; Nick Minchin, former finance minister, former Liberal leader in the Senate; Shane Singh, professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia, author of the book “Beyond Turnout: How Compulsory Voting Shapes Citizens and Political Parties”; Tom Rogers, Australian Electoral Commissioner; and Bill Browne, director of the Democracy and Accountability program at the Australia Institute, an independent think tank in Canberra. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Producer: Dan Tucker

Mixer: Ari Mejia, Meha Ahmad, Micah Yason, Ethan Schwabe

This episode currently has no reviews.

Submit Review
This episode could use a review!

This episode could use a review! Have anything to say about it? Share your thoughts using the button below.

Submit Review