"Put your name up on Facebook with the name of your party—Reform UK—and suddenly you’re a jackbooty, brownshirt, swastika-wearing member of the Nazi party.”

That's what one contributor said to our research team for this year's local elections. As part of Democracy Volunteers election observation for the 2025 English local elections the team surveyed candidates of all parties to find out their experiences out campaigning and the threats, abuse and challenges they faced.

In this episode Jason McKenna interviews the Director of Democracy Volunteers, Dr John Ault, and report researcher, Matt Davis, to find out more about the report that was issued today. Entitled 'Threat to Candidates 2025' it shows the concerning rise of threats and violence towards local election candidates.

Democracy Under Threat? The Hidden Toll on Local Election Candidates

In this thought-provoking episode, Alex Iszatt explores the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and democracy. Joining us are two powerhouse guests with decades of experience in leadership, communications, and political science.

Hilarie Owen, one of the world’s leading experts on leadership and CEO of The Leaders Institute, brings deep insight from her work with global corporations, governments, and elite institutions like the RAF Red Arrows and Harvard University. With a background advising ministers and mentoring senior leaders, she discusses how AI challenges traditional power structures and decision-making in a fast-changing, disruptive world.

Angharad Planells, seasoned communications strategist and former journalist, adds a practical perspective on how narratives around AI are shaped. With experience spanning BBC radio to GE Aerospace and beyond, she shares her insights on the role of media, public understanding, and ethical storytelling in safeguarding democracy in the age of AI.

Together, they unpack whether AI is a threat to democratic institutions—or a tool for strengthening them. Tune in for a nuanced, global perspective on one of the most urgent debates of our time.

(This description was generated by AI)

AI: An Enemy or a Friend of Democracy?

Professor Wouter Veenendaal is Professor by Special Appointment in Kingdom from Leiden University in The Netherlands. In today’s episode, Matt Davis interviews him on the upcoming 2025 general election in Suriname.

2025 sees an election in the South American country which was once a Dutch colony. How big is Suriname, what is the population, how do their elections work? All these questions are answered, and you can learn about the key issues in the Suriname election along with a few other facts about this little know country. Veenendaal’s research examines the effects of population size on politics and democracy, with a specific focus on politics in small (island) states.

International Election Special - Suriname 2025

Jonathan Carr-West is interviewed by Alex Iszatt about the future of local democracy. Do elected mayors offer greater accountability, greater local identity, and greater understanding of the issues that face local communities? 2025 saw a number of elections postponed as those areas were in discussion to develop plans for unitary councils or directly elected mayors.

Dr Jonathan Carr-West has been Chief Executive of LGIU (Local Government Information Unit) since February 2013 where he leads on all aspects of the think tank’s policy, membership and influencing work. With over 15 years’ experience, Jonathan is a leading national expert on local government transformation, local democracy and public services. Some of his particular interests are in participative democracy, the evolving nature of public services and devolution.

Local Democracy: Are Elected Mayors the Solution?

Long time leader of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party, Howling Laud Hope, is interviewed at the Runcorn and Helsby By-Election, his latest outing as a candidate, by Edd Charlton. From his succession from Screaming Lord Sutch, his co-leadership with ginger tom, Catmando, and historically the longest serving party leader since the 19th century, this interview ranges across Loony policies, By-Election successes, and personal stories from his 25 years as party leader.

Welcome to the Loonyverse! Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party

Alex Iszatt talks to Martin Simonneau of “Cool Earth” about supporting and delivering local democratic decision making in remote communities such as in the Amazon Rainforest. Martin explains that Democracy is practised by these communities and talks about how their voices are amplified at international conferences such as The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which recently took place in New York.

Delivering Democracy in Remote Amazonian Communities

Peter Stanyon, chief executive to The Association of Electoral Administrators, is interviewed by Jason McKenna as to how elections are delivered by staff across the country.

Peter’s years of experience delivering elections shines a light on the challenges, the stories and just what #dogsatpollingstations means to council staff and voters across the UK.

How are elections really run?

Lord Hayward is interviewed by Alex Iszatt concerning The 2023 Ballot Secrecy Act which gives greater powers to staff running polling stations to prevent overseeing another person’s vote. Following data collected by Democracy Volunteers, Lord Hayward’s bill received all party support, updating the 1872 Ballot Act, to make it an offence to influence another person’s vote in the polling station.

Members of The House of Lords rarely succeed in passing a Private Member’s Bill so this success indicates how important this new legislation was.

2025 should see new signage in polling stations discouraging so-called “family voting”.

Lord Hayward and the Secrecy of the Ballot

US Elections expert David Levine is interviewed by Edd Charlton on President Trump's Executive Order "Preserving And Protecting The Integrity of American Elections" and its impacts on US democracy. They also discuss Congress's SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) and how this effects the way American elections will work in the future.

David Levine is a senior fellow at UMD’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, who works to ensure that eligible voters can vote, free and fair elections are perceived as legitimate, and election processes are properly administered and secured. He is also an election security adjunct professor at George Mason University, an advisory committee member for the Global Cyber Alliance's Cybersecurity Toolkit for Elections, an advisory council member for The Election Reformers Network, a member of the Election Verification Network, and a contributor to the Fulcrum.

President Trump and Preserving and Protecting The Integrity of US Elections

Johan Norberg is interviewed by Jason McKenna. Norberg is a Swedish author and historian of ideas. He is a senior fellow at the Cato institute. In this interview Norberg assesses the present state of democracy around the world and explains why he still has hope for western democracy. In 2003 Norberg won the Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Stiftung prize along side Otmar Issing and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Is Democracy In Decline? With "Historian of Ideas" Johan Norberg

The Observations Podcast, brought to you by the Democracy Volunteers team, brings you insightful coverage of elections—past, present, local, national, and international. Our team of experts dives into the stories behind the ballots, speaking with candidates, campaigners, organisers and winners to uncover the narratives you won’t hear anywhere else.

Tune in for a deeper look at the elections that shape our world. Our expert interviewers: TV presenter Edd Charlton, ITV and BBC journalist Alex Iszatt and political commentator Jason McKenna bring their skills to our “Observations” podcast which seeks to inform our listeners to the world of elections and elections observation.

We are nonpartisan and so is it. We interview behind elections and democracy. Subscribe today or just listen in.

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