How Ballot Access Laws Shape American Democracy episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 6, 2026 · 43 MIN

How Ballot Access Laws Shape American Democracy

from The Democracy Lab · host The Democracy Lab

Why does the United States have such a durable two-party system, and why is it so difficult for new parties to compete? Rob Richie talks with ballot access pioneer Richard Winger and Libertarian leader Bill Redpath about the history and legal battles surrounding ballot access in American elections. They also explore reforms such as ranked choice voting, fair debate access, primary reform, and proportional representation.Check out our work at expanddemocracy.org and our analyses on Substack.

Why does the United States have such a durable two-party system, and why is it so difficult for new parties to compete? Rob Richie talks with ballot access pioneer Richard Winger and Libertarian leader Bill Redpath about the history and legal battles surrounding ballot access in American elections. They also explore reforms such as ranked choice voting, fair debate access, primary reform, and proportional representation.Check out our work at expanddemocracy.org and our analyses on Substack.

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How Ballot Access Laws Shape American Democracy

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This episode was published on March 6, 2026.

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Why does the United States have such a durable two-party system, and why is it so difficult for new parties to compete? Rob Richie talks with ballot access pioneer Richard Winger and Libertarian leader Bill Redpath about the history and legal...

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