You voted. Does it matter?
From America, Actually with Astead Herndon by Vox Media
May 30, 2026 · 28 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the historical exclusion of many Americans from the democratic process despite contemporary political rhetoric about protecting democracy.
Democrats talk a lot about protecting democracy, but for most Americans, the system was written to exclude them a long time ago. This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian, fact checked by Esther Gim, mixed by Shannon Mahoney, video edited by Christopher Snyder, and hosted by Astead Herndon. Photo by Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. You can also watch this episode on youtube.com/vox. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Astead Herndon
Topics covered
- democracy
- voting
- politics
- exclusion
- American system
Keywords
- democracy
- voting
- politics
- exclusion
- American system
- elections
- government
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Vox Media, Los Angeles Times, youtube.com, vox.com, podcastchoices.com
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- Grading America's first 250 years · May 2, 2026 · 27 min
- This Senator has an Eric Swalwell problem · April 25, 2026 · 30 min
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