Podcast
Democracy Optimist
Hosted by Joshua Douglas · EN
Democracy Optimist is a thought-provoking public radio series and podcast that delves deep into the heart of democratic processes, elections, and voting rights to ask a simple but vital question: how do we sustain our democracy? The series is hosted by University of Kentucky Election Law research professor Joshua Douglas, a passionate advocate for civic engagement, and produced by WEKU.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Monica Guzman
1w ago00:26:17Tap to summarizeNo wonder we have such a hard time talking about the biggest issues of the day without it devolving into partisan bickering. Many Americans feel more isolated in their political views than ever before. We assume the worst about “the other side.” We unfriend people we disagree with. We curate our media diets. And too often, when political conversations do happen, they quickly devolve into defensiveness, caricature, and partisan bickering. But democracy depends on citizens talking to one another—listening, questioning, and ultimately persuading. Democracy requires productive political conversations.Here to teach us how to have better conversations across the political divide is Monica Guzman. She’s a self-described bridge builder, a journalist, and the author of the best-selling book, “I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.”**The 1850 campaign is replacing lost federal funds one supporter at a time. Thanks to our listeners and supporters, we are very close to reaching our goal of 1850 new supporters donating at least $10 a month. Click here to join the campaign!
Transcribe →Erwin Chemerinsky
2w ago00:26:41Tap to summarizeOur democratic institutions face intense strain. Structural features of the Constitution—such as the Electoral College, the Senate’s equal representation of the states, and the powers of the Supreme Court—have produced a system that can feel distant from majority rule. At the same time, the country confronts extreme political polarization, persistent racial inequality, and declining civic engagement. Free speech, both on campus and in public discourse, is also under pressure, shaping the debates we have about politics and society. All of this raises a fundamental question: Is the Constitution equipped to sustain American democracy in the twenty-first century? Our guest has thought deeply about these questions. Erwin Chemerinsky, cited by National Jurist magazine as the most influential person in legal education in the United States, is the Dean of Berkeley Law School in California. He’s also the author of No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States and Campus Speech and Academic Freedom: A Guide for Difficult Times.**The 1850 campaign is replacing lost federal funds one supporter at a time. Thanks to our listeners and supporters, we are very close to reaching our goal of 1850 new supporters donating at least $10 a month. Click here to join the campaign!
Transcribe →Laura Brill
May 2800:26:49Tap to summarizeThe 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1971, effectively lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. Young people were asked to fight in the Vietnam War, which many of them opposed. They organized anti-war protests on school campuses all across the country. “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” became a common rallying cry. But these days, young people have not embraced their voting power in significant numbers. The youngest age group turns out to vote at the lowest rate among all age groups, often by a significant margin. Our guest wants to help, and she’s built an organization to do just that. Laura Brill is the CEO & Founder of The Civics Center, an organization focused on promoting voter registration for young people. **Federal funding for public media has been eliminated. However, you can take action to address this issue. Join WEKU's 1850 campaign for the future! 1,850 new supporters, each giving $10 monthly to keep WEKU strong. Donate today!
Transcribe →Joyce Vance
May 2100:26:54Tap to summarizeOn this episode, Joshua Douglas speaks to Joyce Vance, author of Giving Up is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping Our Democracy. In the book, Vance says democracy is the collective responsibility of all concerned Americans and that each of us has a role in preserving that democracy. Joyce Vance is a New York Times bestselling author, former United States Attorney, and current professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. She’s also a legal analyst for MS Now—formerly known as MSNBC—writes the Civil Discourse newsletter on Substack, and co-hosts two podcasts, SistersInLaw and The Insider.**Federal funding for public media has been eliminated. However, you can take action to address this issue. Join WEKU's 1850 campaign for the future! 1,850 new supporters, each giving $10 monthly to keep WEKU strong. Donate today!
Transcribe →Jaime Lucke
Apr 2300:23:44Tap to summarizeSurveys show that there’s a real lack of trust in the news media. Why is that? And how do we rebuild that trust? And how can people know that they are consuming news from a trustworthy source? Among the many questions for Jamie Lucke, founding editor of the online news source, Kentucky Lantern.**The 1850 campaign is replacing lost federal funds one supporter at a time. Thanks to our listeners and supporters, we are very close to reaching our goal of 1850 new supporters donating at least $10 a month. Click here to join the campaign!
Transcribe →Jacqueline Coleman
Apr 1600:26:28Tap to summarizeMany people can name the Kentucky Governor, but what about Kentucky’s Lieutenant Governor? Do you know what she does and how her work impacts your daily life? Do you know her main priorities? We are about to find out. Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman is our first guest in this episode of our series, “Democracy Optimist,” hosted by University of Kentucky election law and voting rights research professor Joshua Douglas. Coleman is the 58th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. She has served as a high school teacher, school administrator, and basketball coach. and was recently chosen to chair the National Lieutenant Governors Association for 2026-27. **The 1850 campaign is replacing lost federal funds one supporter at a time. Thanks to our listeners and supporters, we are very close to reaching our goal of 1850 new supporters donating at least $10 a month. Click here to join the campaign!
Transcribe →Richard Young
Mar 1900:26:35Tap to summarizeCivicLex founder and Executive Director Richard Young discusses the details of the much-watched “Civic Assembly,” an exercise in true grassroots democracy currently underway in Fayette County, Kentucky.**Federal funding for public media has been eliminated. However, you can take action to address this issue. Join WEKU's 1850 campaign for the future! 1,850 new supporters, each giving $10 monthly to keep WEKU strong. Donate today!
Transcribe →Eric Liu
Mar 1300:27:04Tap to summarizeJoining Josh Douglas to discuss the work of Citizen University is one of its co-founders, Eric Liu. As the author of Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy, Liu has thought a lot about what it means to be an engaged citizen in 2026.**Federal funding for public media has been eliminated. However, you can take action to address this issue. Join WEKU's 1850 campaign for the future! 1,850 new supporters, each giving $10 monthly to keep WEKU strong. Donate today!
Transcribe →Luisa Sanchez and Rachel Belin
Feb 500:26:15Tap to summarizeBoyle Co. H.S. senior Luisa Sanchez of the Kentucky Student Voice Team and KSVT managing partner Rachel Belin discuss the organization’s lawsuit claiming the state has failed its constitutional duty under Section 183 of the Kentucky Constitution to provide “an efficient system of common schools.”
Transcribe →LaJuan Allen
Jan 2900:25:03Tap to summarizeJoshua Douglas speaks to LaJuan Allen, the Executive Director of Vote16USA, a nonprofit dedicated to lowering the voting age to 16 in response to concerns about youth engagement, civic readiness, and the long-term health of our democracy.
Transcribe →