Thirty-one days before the 2026 general election, an American voter is buried in information, not starved of it. Local papers have shrunk, campaign advertising is on track for a record, the ballot asks for at least thirty-four decisions, chatbots answer with total confidence, and fewer than three in ten trust the news media. The episode measures the noise with numbers.
Who's who
- Tim FranklinDirects Medill's Local News Initiative at Northwestern
- Ned AugenblickEconomist who co-wrote a study of ballot choice fatigue
- Scott NicholsonEconomist who co-wrote a study of ballot choice fatigue
- David G. Rand+1 more episodeCornell researcher quoted on voters using AI
- Steve SimonMinnesota secretary of state who cautioned voters about AI
- David ScanlanNew Hampshire secretary of state who cautioned voters about AI
Where it happens
- Salinas, California+7 more episodesHome of the Salinas Californian, now with one reporter
- Monterey County, California+7 more episodesLocal news coverage has shrunk
- San Benito County, California+2 more episodesA council seat was decided by one vote in 2024
Timeline
- 2010Citizens United opens the door to unlimited independent spending
- February 2024Test finds more than half of chatbot election answers inaccurate
- September 23, 2025KION closes its local newsroom after 56 years
- October 2, 2025Gallup reports trust in mass media at 28 percent
- June 2026AdImpact projects a record $11.6 billion in political ads
- November 3, 2026Election Day
Still debated
Researchers disagree on whether advertising persuades voters at all, and whether the collapse in media trust is earned or engineered; the episode reports the numbers without adjudicating. The 2024 chatbot test is two years old, and startups may not fill the gaps in rural counties.
