Forward Podcast: Do Voters Really Care About Democracy?

image
Published: 13 Jun, 2023
Updated: 27 Jun, 2023
1 min read

In his most recent podcast, former presidential candidate and Foward Party Founder Andrew Yang sat down with Citizen Data CEO Mindy Finn to discuss what voters really want, according to the data -- and what the data shows is voters want better elections.

Citizen Data is a nonpartisan research and analytics company that, in Finn's words, "recognized the need for better nonpartisan data in the political sphere." Pollsters and data analysts have long approached political and social topics from the perspective of red versus blue. In other words, they focus on division.

Finn says her company is focused on data and analytics that can bridge divides.

Politicos have long approached the issue of democracy as something voters do not care about. Yet, what Citizen Data has found is elections-- and more specifically election reform -- and protecting democracy are increasingly the top issues for people across the political spectrum.

Citizen Data, for example, recently released new data that shows most voters want to rank their options in presidential primaries. Overall, voters want more choice in elections, and they want the process to be fair to all voters, regardless of political affiliation or lack thereof. 

Yang and Finn talk about Citizen Data's research and polling, as well as Finn's experience as a vice presidential running mate. She ran in 2016 on an independent ticket alongside Evan McMullen. Check out the full conversation above. 

Latest articles

Tulsi Gabbard
Is Tulsi Gabbard Being Sidelined by Another Party?
Tulsi Gabbard can’t seem to catch a break, no matter which party or administration she joins. First, she was ostracized by the Democratic Party in 2016 when she spoke out against the party’s unfair treatment against Bernie Sanders. At the time, she was a sitting Democratic congresswoman and DNC vice chair....
26 Jun, 2025
-
4 min read
A gas station with cannabis products on the pump with the US Capitol building in the background.
Congress Moves to Ban Unregulated, Intoxicating Hemp Being Sold at Gas Stations Nationwide
In a late-session vote last week, House Republicans advanced a sweeping change to federal hemp policy that could outlaw a wide range of intoxicating hemp products, sometimes referred to as “gas station weed,” as the hemp Farm Bill loopholes become a major policy issue in many states, including California, Tennessee and Texas....
26 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
NYC open primaries picket.
On Primary Day, NY Orgs Picket on Behalf of 3.5 Million Disenfranchised Voters
Much of the election coverage on Tuesday focused on the New York primaries, especially in NYC and the hotly contested ranked choice election for mayor. What got less attention, however, were the 3.5 million independent voters in the state locked out of elections they paid for....
25 Jun, 2025
-
4 min read