logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
46m 2s

Elections Explained: A History of Voting

History Hit
About this episode

We have a constitutional right to vote in the United States ... don't we? Find out in this first episode of American History Hit's series, Elections Explained.


Having correctly predicted every election since 1984 (except - arguably - 2000), Allan Lichtman joins Don to explore the development of the American right to vote,. When did we move from public to private voting? And where did the electoral college come from?


Allan is a Distinguished Professor of History at the American University, Washington DC, and has been an expert witness in 100 Civil and Voting Rights cases. His books include ‘White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative Movement’, ‘The Keys To the White House’, and ’The Thirteen Keys To the Presidency’, and his Youtube can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/@AllanLichtmanYouTube


Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for $1 per month for 3 months with code AMERICANHISTORY sign up at https://historyhit.com/subscription/ 


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Up next
Jul 7
When Britain Sent Its Convicts to America
Britain shipped convicts to America from the days of Jamestown right up until 1775. More than 50,000 were sent. To explore this too seldom told tale, we are joined by Dr Anna McKay from the University of Liverpool, a historian of prisoners in the British Empire.Edited by Tim Arst ... Show More
27m 47s
Jul 3
Revolutionary War: When Was the Turning Point?
In 1775, revolutionaries went to war against the British. Seeking independence from colonial ties, they fought more than 150 battles over eight years.A relatively new nation of just 2.5 million people facing off against the greatest military power on the planet at that time, it s ... Show More
48m 46s
Jun 30
Frenemies: China & the USA, a History
The People's Republic of China has only existed since 1949, but in just 75 years its relationship with the United States is in a strong position to be the most tumultuous of all.Don is joined by Rana Mitter for this episode of Frenemies. Rana is S. T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia R ... Show More
49m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
The Unpopular Vote
The closest we ever came to abolishing the electoral college and why we probably never will. As the US Presidential Election nears, Radiolab covers the closest we ever came to abolishing the Electoral College.In the 1960s, then-President Lyndon Johnson approached an ambitious you ... Show More
59m 46s
Jul 2024
23 | I’m Different | Fannie Lou Hamer’s Voting Revolution
After getting arrested by racist police and being beaten to near death, Fannie puts her fight for voting rights into high gear. With the help of fellow activists, Fannie forms her own political party, the MFDP (Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party), and appears on live television ... Show More
42m 36s
Aug 2024
American presidents
Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History episodes.It's 50 years since Richard Nixon became the first US president in history to resign, following the Watergate scandal.To mark this anniversary, we're featuring first hand accounts from major moments in US pr ... Show More
51 m
Nov 2024
43 | My President Is Black | It’s the Senate, and We in It
Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants, once dreamed of justice on the streets of Oakland. Barack Obama, born to a Kenyan father and a Kansas mother, found his voice on Chicago's South Side. Against the odds, both rose from the margins to the Senate, ultimately shattering ceil ... Show More
44m 14s
Sep 2024
Why is the voting age 18?
For most of our nation's history, the voting age was 21. So how'd we get it down to 18? In one sense, it was the fastest ratified amendment in history. In another, it took three decades. Our guide to the hard-won fight for youth enfranchisement is Jennifer Frost, author of "Let U ... Show More
36m 16s
Nov 2024
318. How Does the US Presidential Election Work? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
On November 5th, the United States of America will elect their next President. The two candidates this year are former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris.The election has been controversial and close. There have been assassination attempts against Don ... Show More
23m 24s
Jan 2025
The "Bedsheet Ballot" (1964)
It's January 29th. In 1964, because of an impasse over redistricting, the state of Illinois held elections in which every candidate was at-large.Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss what happened when voters entered the booth and were confronted with 118 races to weigh in on.Sign up fo ... Show More
13m 1s
Oct 2024
10 questions sur l'élection présidentielle américaine
Chaque élection présidentielle américaine constitue un événement électoral, qui fascine le monde entier Peut-être que celle à venir l’est davantage encore. L’élection de 2024 se déroule dans un contexte particulièrement tendu et hors norme : deux tentatives d’attentat contre Dona ... Show More
41m 22s
Sep 2023
Emilee Booth Chapman, "Election Day: How We Vote and What It Means for Democracy" (Princeton UP, 2022)
Emilee Booth Chapman, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, has a new book that examines the idea of the vote, and what this experience means for citizens, for the structure of government, and, as the title indicates, for democracy. Booth Chapman is a p ... Show More
52m 19s