The Electorette Podcast

Connecticut is taking a different approach.

While many states have moved to restrict access to the ballot, Connecticut expanded voting access by passing its own John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act and implementing no-excuse absentee voting. At the same time, state leaders have found themselves responding to federal immigration enforcement, protecting access to schools and public services, and addressing rising costs for residents.

In this episode of The Margin, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont joins Jen Taylor-Skinner to discuss the state's efforts to strengthen voting rights, resist federal voter-roll requests, protect immigrant communities, and increase civic participation.

They also discuss Connecticut's high electricity costs, the regulation of utility companies like Eversource, and what states can realistically do to make life more affordable for residents.

As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Lamont argues that states have an important role to play in protecting democratic participation and ensuring that residents feel invested in their communities.

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Homelessness is one of the most important issues in Los Angeles—and one of the most politically challenging.

Phoenix Tso of L.A. Public Press joins Jen Taylor-Skinner to unpack the debate over encampment sweeps, CARE Plus operations, Mayor Karen Bass's homelessness strategy, and the growing pressure on elected officials to balance public frustration with long-term solutions.

They discuss why progressive politicians often evolve on homelessness policy once in office, the controversy surrounding Measure ULA, and how housing has become a political lightning rod that is reshaping voter behavior across the city.

What happens when campaign promises collide with governing realities? This conversation explores one of the central questions facing Los Angeles today.

Follow Phoenix Tso's reporting on the L.A. Housing Crisis here.

LA organizers ‘sweep’ Council member Hugo Soto-Martínez’s home in protest of 41.18

Follow @electorette on YouTube and Instagram, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts for more political midterm coverage, election analysis, and nuanced discussions that go beyond the headlines.
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The Human Rights Campaign president on LGBTQ voters, anti-trans politics, authoritarianism, and why “hope is a discipline.”

In this episode of The Margin — a midterm election coverage collaboration between The Electorette and URL Media — Jen Taylor-Skinner speaks with Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson about the state of American democracy, rising attacks on LGBTQ Americans, and the political stakes heading into the 2026 midterms.

Robinson discusses new polling showing historically high LGBTQ voter engagement, why anti-trans attacks are becoming central to Republican strategy, and what candidates need to understand about the communities powering Democratic victories. The conversation also explores Black women’s political influence, voter mobilization, authoritarianism, and why Robinson believes joy itself can be a form of resistance.

“Hope is a discipline,” Robinson says. “Our joy is resistance, too.”
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What happens if your mail ballot is picked up by USPS… but never actually delivered?

In this episode of The Margin — a midterm election coverage collaboration between The Electorette and URL Media — Jen Taylor-Skinner speaks with ACLU attorney Theresa J. Lee about the Trump administration’s executive order targeting mail-in voting and the ACLU’s legal challenge against it.

Lee explains how the executive order could direct federal agencies to create citizenship verification lists using flawed federal databases, potentially impacting mail-in and absentee voting for eligible citizens across the country.

The conversation explores:• the SAVE system vs. the SAVE Act• the constitutional questions surrounding the executive order• Section 11 of the Voting Rights Act• polling place closures and voter suppression• risks for disabled voters, military families, and overseas voters• and whether the courts are likely to block the order before the 2026 midterms

Subscribe to The Electorette for smart, nuanced coverage of democracy, voting rights, and the 2026 elections.

#VotingRights #ACLU #MailInVoting #Midterms2026 #Election2026 #Democracy #TheElectorette #TheMargin
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Nikki Fried on organizing, voter suppression, and rebuilding Democratic infrastructure.

Florida has become shorthand for Republican dominance — but Nikki Fried says the national media narrative is missing what’s happening on the ground.

In this episode, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried joins Jen Taylor-Skinner to discuss Florida’s newly drawn congressional maps following the Supreme Court’s decision weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the legal battle over partisan gerrymandering, and why Fried believes Republicans may have unintentionally created more competitive districts.

They also discuss the disconnect between online political discourse and real-world organizing, why Democrats need to invest in long-term infrastructure instead of last-minute campaign spending, and what recent Democratic wins in Florida could signal about the state’s future.

Later in the conversation, Fried discusses Florida’s controversial immigrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” the political incentives behind it, and what she describes as a broader culture of privatization, corruption, and democratic erosion under Republican leadership in the state.

Topics include:

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act

Gerrymandering and Florida’s congressional maps

Democratic organizing strategy

Year-round infrastructure vs. campaign spending

Florida’s changing political landscape

Immigration detention and “Alligator Alcatraz”

Media narratives vs. on-the-ground politics

The future of Democratic politics in the South

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