Series 2024

The ABC's US Election Analyst Casey Briggs sets off on a trip around America to find out why the country is so divided and whether there's any hope for the place that calls itself "the leader of the free world".

In key states like Georgia, people who maintain the last election was stolen are now in positions responsible for supervising and certifying the next one. So is it actually possible to steal an election? And is it enough to run a free and fair election if people don't believe it was?

Australians watch how the US do democracy with a mixture of confusion and surprise. Why does no one seem satisfied with how government works? Casey Briggs examines a democracy that many people have deep reservations about.

The election for President draws the most attention but a cavalcade of positions are being voted on: Judges, Prosecutors, Sheriffs and Election officials. It seems bizarre but does it reinforce or corrode America's democracy?

Elections are an expensive business in America: most people favour spending limits for political campaigns. Casey Briggs visits Philadelphia, the market most bombarded with political advertising to see what voters make of it.