The Future of Our Former Democracy

Latest Episodes:

The Fair Go's Fine Print Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Australia built its democracy on the idea of a "fair go," but who was it actually for?

Ruth and Colin examine the White Australia policy, the Stolen Generations, and the dictation tests designed to keep non-white immigrants out, drawing stark parallels to Jim Crow literacy tests and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act. Ruth reckons with her own family's role in a massacre of Wiradjuri people, MED’s George Cheung walks through Melbourne's Chinatown, and the hosts explore the failed Voice referendum and how states like South Australia and Victoria are stepping in where the nation fell short.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

Professor Thalia Anthony, University of Technology Sydney

Professor Frank Bongiorno, Australian National University

Mark Wong, CEO, Museum of Chinese Australian History

Simon Chen, Founder and Director, Art Atrium Gallery, and President, Chinese Australian Forum

The Future of Our Former Democracy is a production of More Equitable Democracy and Mori Strategies.

For more information on More Equitable Democracy's work, please visit: https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/

From Penal Colony to Democracy Lab Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

How does a British penal colony become one of the world's most trusted democracies?

Ruth and Colin head back to 1788 to trace how a society of convicts and guards pioneered the secret ballot, the living wage, and the eight-hour workday, blending Washington and Westminster into a democracy all its own, built on the ethos of the "fair go." But that story is inseparable from the dispossession and genocide of First Nations people, raising the question of who Australian democracy was actually built for.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

Dr. Mark Dunn, Historian and Author of The Convict Valley

Professor Thalia Anthony, University of Technology Sydney

Professor Frank Bongiorno, Australian National University

Dr. Marija Taflaga, Centre for the Study of Australian Politics, Australian National University and co-host of Democracy Sausage podcast about Australian Politics

Paul Daffy, Journalist and Tour Guide

Mentioned Resources Link

The Future of Our Former Democracy is a production of More Equitable Democracy and Mori Strategies.

For more information on More Equitable Democracy's work, please visit: https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/

Vote, Surf, Sausage: A Recipe for Trust Down Under Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Season 3 of The Future of Our Former Democracy!

Colin is joined by new co-host Ruth Greenwood, director of Harvard Law School's Election Law Clinic and proud Australian expat, as the show heads Down Under. In Australia, elections are "boring, boring, boring," and voters across the political spectrum trust the results in a way Americans rarely do.

Colin and Ruth explore why.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

Dr. Marija Taflaga, Centre for the Study of Australian Politics, Australian National University and co-host of Democracy Sausage podcast about Australian Politics

Professor David Smith, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney

Professor Thalia Anthony, University of Technology Sydney

For more information on our electoral systems work, visit democracynow.org.

The Future of Our Former Democracy is a production of More Equitable Democracy and Mori Strategies.

For more information on More Equitable Democracy's work, please visit: https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/

Season 3 Trailer: The Commonwealth of Australia Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Australia built its democracy on the American model, then kept revising it: the secret ballot, ranked-choice voting, proportional representation, and elections that Australians across the political spectrum actually trust. In our new season, we travel Down Under to explore how a country so similar to ours, including in its history of white supremacy and Indigenous genocide, ended up with a democracy that works so differently, and what the U.S. can learn from it.

Future Hindsight | The People's Document: Melissa Murray Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

Mila Atmos and Melissa Murray discuss the hidden power inside the U.S. Constitution, what it was designed to protect against, and how it can fortify American democracy today.

Melissa Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, and a legal analyst for MSNBC. Her new book is The US Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader.

Your civic action toolkit recommendations from Melissa are:

1) Commit to voting and follow through

2) Make your demands clear to your elected representatives

Bonus: Who Gets To Belong? Voices from Ukraine and Syria May 20, 2026

Show notes

This bonus episode is a recording of a panel presentation from More Equitable Democracy's 2025 learning tour to Germany. The panel featured four international voices - immigrants, international students, and refugees - living in Germany today.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

- Hesham Moadamani, Office of Civic Engagement, Bard College Berlin

- Liza Nezhyva, Mriï Collective, Bard College Berlin

- Khalil Hammod, Alumni, Bard College Berlin

- Mariia Krychevska, Mriï Collective, Bard College Berlin

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠⁠

Bonus: Berit and Khuê: Growing Up During German Reunification Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

In this bonus episode, Berit, born in East Germany, and Khuê, born in West Berlin, share their respective perspectives and stories of growing up during German reunification.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

- ⁠⁠⁠Dr. Berit Ebert⁠⁠⁠, Bard College Berlin

- ⁠Khuê Phạm⁠, Author and journalist

⁠⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠⁠

From the Black Forest to the Rose City: Seeding PR at Home Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

Throughout this season, we've heard excerpts from interviews and presentations that were part of a February 2025 learning tour organized by More Equitable Democracy. This tour brought US academics, racial justice advocates, and political reformers to Germany to see proportional representation in action during their national elections.

In our season 2 finale, some of the learning tour's participants share their reflections—not just about what they learned in Germany, but about what they intend to bring back home to their work in the US. Then, we visit Portland, Oregon, which in 2024 became the first major US city since the 1950s to use a system of proportional representation. We'll hear from community organizers, elections administrators, journalists, and candidates (both successful and less so) who ran under Portland's new system. Does Portland represent the future of our former democracy?

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

⁠⁠- Dr. Berit Ebert⁠⁠, Bard College Berlin

- Deb Otis, FairVote

- Professor Kevin Deegan-Krause, Voters Not Politicians

- LaShanda Jackson, Philanthropic Advisor

- Neal Ubriani, Institute for Responsive Government

- Professor Spencer Overton, Multiracial Democracy Project

- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh⁠, The Oregonian

- Leah Benson, Multnomah County Elections Division

- Andrés Oswill, Oregon Futures Lab

- Sameer Kanal, Portland City Councilmember

- Tiffany Koyama Lane, Portland City Councilmember

- Steph Routh, 2024 Candidate for Portland City Council

- Hermann "Bobby" Grampp, ⁠⁠Berlin-based historian and music critic⁠

- Nicola Hieke⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Landeskoordinierungstelle Bayern gegen Rechtsextremismus⁠⁠ (Bavaria State Coordination Office Against Right-Wing Extremism)

- Professor Doctor Magnus Brechtken⁠, ⁠⁠Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History⁠

Referenced works:

The Oregonian: "Portland’s ranked-choice debut sees voter engagement crater"

Portland Mercury: "Portland’s Ranked Choice Voting Was a Success (Despite What the Oregonian Claims)"

More Equitable Democracy: ⁠2025 Portland Learning Symposium ⁠⁠⁠"Lift Every Voice"

Data and Democracy Lab: Study of the 2024 STV City Council Election in Portland, Oregon

Salon: "⁠Sorry, haters: Ranked-choice voting produced the most diverse city council in NYC history⁠"

Additional links:

Oregon Public Broadcasting: "In East Portland, a light post offers hope for a change in City Hall representation"

Rose City Reform: "Diversity By Design - An analysis of Portland City Council’s 2025 voting record"

⁠⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠⁠

For more information on Larj Media, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.larjmedia.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

The "New Germans": Identity and Belonging in Modern Germany Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

While Germany makes a continuous effort to grapple with their past and practice remembrance of historic atrocities, there are still significant tensions today about German identity: what a German sounds like, what a German looks like, and what it means to be German.

Heather and Colin take a focused look at how identity shows up in the context of modern Germany's government. For immigrants, refugees, and ethnic minorities, how does the German system fare when it comes to a sense of belonging in society and representation in government? Is the grass any greener than in the US?

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

- Khuê Phạm, Author and Journalist

- Hesham Moadamani, Bard College Berlin

- Haşim Anık, Tour Guide

- Dr. Yaşar Aydın, German Institute for International and Security Affairs and Center for Applied Turkey Studies

USA Today: Does my country want me? Germany's historic far-right election gain worries me by Khuê Phạm

Study on "Heritage Cultural Identity" in Germany: Understanding Ethnic-Racial Identity in a Context Where “Race” Is Taboo

⁠⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠⁠

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠⁠

For more information on Larj Media, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.larjmedia.com/⁠⁠⁠

Alternative für Amerika: MAGA, AfD, and the Politics of Division Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

In Germany, as in the United States and much of Europe, there has been a rising surge of support for far-right populism and anti-democratic forces. This is exemplified in the growth of the far-right political party "Alternative for Germany" (AFD).

In this episode, Heather and Colin compare still-simmering political tensions between former East and West Germany with those between red and blue states in the US — and examine why German democracy has, so far, proven more resilient to authoritarianism than US democracy.

Special thanks to the experts featured in this episode:

Martin Lange, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tour with a Berliner⁠⁠

⁠Dr. Berit Ebert⁠, Bard College Berlin

Alec MacGillis, ProPublica

Nicola Hieke⁠, ⁠Landeskoordinierungstelle Bayern gegen Rechtsextremismus⁠ (Bavaria State Coordination Office Against Right-Wing Extremism)

⁠Professor Thomas Gschwend⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠University of Mannheim⁠

German Democratic Republic borders, 1949-1990

Map of German federal election results, 2025

The New Yorker: The Complicated Rise of the Right in Germany’s Left-Behind Places by Alec MacGillis

⁠⁠Music and archival references⁠⁠

For more information on More Equitable Democracy’s work, please visit: ⁠⁠https://www.equitabledemocracy.org/⁠

For more information on Larj Media, please visit: ⁠⁠https://www.larjmedia.com/⁠⁠