Girl and The Gov, The Podcast Maddie Medved & Sammy Kanter

We often waiver between calling this organization the TMZ of politics and the Deux Moi of Politics, but either way OpenSecrets brings the tea. Piping hot in fact, because in the world of politics it’s all about that money honey. Some may follow the yellow brick road, but OpenSecrets follows the money, seeing which politicians are funded by who, what companies are throwing their dollars to the dark side and more. Cue this interview with Sarah Bryner, Director of Research & Strategy at OpenSecrets who gives us the scoop on how it all works, what OpenSecrets does, and its impact. This convo had us loving OpenSecrets even more than we already did and we can’t recommend diving in feet first more. 
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We’re back baby and we’re back with Brian Derrick for an episode on redistricting. You’ve heard us talk about it before, but redistricting is in full swing (still) as we get into the 2022 midterm elections year. And now, we have updates. There are so many avenues in which to take this topic and we try to drive down many of them. Hop into the episode and get an update on where redistricting is currently. And, as always, ~we’ll keep you updated~.
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2022 midterm elections are heating up in every state and every edge of the ballot. California, and more specifically Los Angeles, is included in this mix, with one the many positions voters will be casting their ballot for being the mayoral seat. With lots at stake for the iconic American city, City Attorney Mike Feuer (and his mustache – check out his campaign video if you don’t believe us) has thrown his hat in the rink. On this episode, we chat with him on the issues facing LA and how he plans to solve for them. We also chat through some of the issues he’s worked on thus far as City Attorney. This episode also includes action items for starting the new year civically engaged and off to the races. A few tidbits and easy clicks to get you started:
2022 Political Resolutions!

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If we were looking for favorite word pairs, two of them would be ‘digital media’ and ‘voter participation.’ Combined, these concepts marry themselves into a powerful force and a magnetic conversation about the methods that can be and should be used to mobilize new voters. This week’s episode focuses on exactly that through a fun conversation with Tatenda Musapatike, CEO/Founder of the Voter Formation Project. If understanding the wild world of digital tactics is up your alley (it’s our bread and butter), this episode is going to be one you listen to time and time again. Oh, and also because our conversation was just such a freakin’ delight, we can’t even (*screams of excitement*)!
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The data does it for us. And what we mean by that aside from the fact that we may throw that phrase on a sweatshirt at some point, is that looking at data and the studies that produce these elements of interest can provide tangible evidence for particular policy measures. In the case of studies undertaken by our guest Dr. Jody Herman, who is a Reid Rasmussen Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute, the findings are in the realm of gender identity and non-discrimination laws. In our conversation we talk about how these buckets intersect, what can be learned, and how these studies emerge. Additionally, we chat through our ‘stupid questions’ on gender identity, gender expression, and more.
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We love firsts, and this episode presents one for us - our first time on the show digging into early childhood education. Covering the waterfront in terms of policy and politics in this realm, we chat with expert in the field, Rebecca Feinglos Planchard, a Senior Early Childhood Policy Advisor, at the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education on what’s included in this policy bucket. We not only talk about the preparations and communications needed between federal and state government agencies to make policy happen in real time for students (and their families) now and in the future, but the possible outcomes or consequences of policy application. We also tap into the terminology and programs, with our conversation including chatter on the background of the concept of ‘school readiness’ and the Head Start program. 
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