Democracy Optimist
Hosted by Joshua Douglas · Joshua Douglas
4.9from 59 ratings
- 64
- Episodes
- 6
- Transcribed
- 59
- Ratings
- Daily
- Cadence
- 2024
- First episode
About Democracy Optimist
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.
- Publisher
- Joshua Douglas
- Category
- news
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 12 Jan 2024
- Latest episode
- 1 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
6 of 64 episodes have a transcript.
1 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Celina Stewart
24 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Steven Levitsky
20 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
Rachel Ray
Inside a recent episode
Celina Stewart
Published 1 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] My background is in voting rights and democracy reform as well. And I've always been really keen on civic participation, particularly working at the intersection in my career at least, of policy, community engagement, and like structural barriers to participation and dismantling those. So I worked with, Stacey Abrams in Georgia. I was counsel for the caucus back then, which was a very eye-opening experience working that close. But what drew me to the league is, I think, its unique model. The fact that the organization is nonpartisan, member-driven, and really deeply rooted in communities was something that was super attractive to me. […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on Democracy Optimist
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Celina Stewart
- Steven Levitsky
- Rachel Ray
- Nathaniel Stinnett
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.9 / 5
- 39 ratings
- Spotify
- 5.0 / 5
- 20 ratings
Contact Democracy Optimist
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about Democracy Optimist
Who hosts Democracy Optimist?
Joshua Douglas host the show. Published by Joshua Douglas.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Democracy Optimist take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
6 of 64 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
Host of Democracy Optimist?
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