Presidential campaigns reported their latest fundraising totals recently. There is a shift in campaign fundraising focus from a candidate’s own committee raising money to independent superPACs. A candidate’s own campaign committee can't take contributions greater than $2,700. SuperPACs have no contribution limits at all. Also, a candidate cannot raise big money for a superPAC, but it's fine for a superPAC to raise money for a candidate's campaign. Are the fundraising laws fair? Listen to this story with your students and debate whether political campaign spending should be limited.
Story Length: 3:15
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October 23, 2018
2:59
Russian agents interfered in the last major U.S. election in many ways, including planting “disinformation” or false information intended to mislead voters about the voting process. A new state office in California has been established to combat such disinformation leading up to the next election in November. While some welcome the role the state is playing, others are concerned about the potential for domestic political interference. Listen to hear how voters have been misled and what the state of California is trying to do about it.
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2016
4:43
Every major presidential campaign has its own logo. The candidates work closely with graphic designers to create logos that represent a certain message the candidate would like to send to the public. In graphic form, they can project a voice, impression and identity to voters. In this story a graphic designer analyzes the logos of two major presidential campaigns.
Read MoreSeptember 14, 2015
4:42
The next U.S. President will be elected in November, 2016. But the race is already packed with candidates. There are more than two dozen major candidates who are seeking the job as president. Running for president is difficult and exhausting, so why would so many people want to run? There are many reasons, both legitimate and delusional. Without an incumbent president, a lot of people think they have a chance to win this election. Some candidates hope to bring attention to their message and some to cash in on their new celebrity. Listen to hear about this race and the reasons so many people are running for President this year.
Read MoreSeptember 8, 2014
4:20
The gender gap in voting preferences in the 2012 election was the largest in history. Men voted overwhelmingly for Republican candidates, women voted Democratic. Men also vote less frequently than women. This has pushed politicians to focus on how they can effectively reach men, particularly young men. Today’s public radio story looks at ad placement and self-presentation as candidates try to reach more men.
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