Grownups, Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Wow in the World early and ad-free right now.Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or Wondery Kids Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Hey, Wowser fans, Mindy here.And before we start the show, the presidential election is coming up on Tuesday, November 5th.It's almost here.
And even though you aren't old enough to vote just yet, there are still lots of ways that you can participate. We here at Wow in the World have partnered with our friends at The Week Jr.Magazine to share the wows of elections.
And we even made a special episode of 2 What's in a Wow airing this Friday that'll help you learn more about elections, plus how you can be involved no matter what age you are. In honor of Election Day, our friends at The Week Jr.
Magazine have created a limited-time offer for you Wowzer fans only.Grownups visit theweekjr.com to try six issues of this amazing weekly magazine absolutely risk-free. What are you waiting for?
Grownups, visit theweekjr.com slash wow to get this offer today.And tune in on Friday for a special episode of Two What's in a Wow.That's it.Now let's get back to the show.
And now for everyone's second favorite game show after exercising your right to vote.It's Two What's in a Wow. With your hosts, Mindy and Guy!
Hello and welcome to Two What's in a Wow.
The scientific game show that separates the wows from the what's.
But in this special episode, we are talking about another kind of science, political science.
That's right, Mindy.As you may know, the presidential election is right around the corner on Tuesday, November 5th.
And while most of you might not be old enough to cast your vote this year, you're never too young to be an informed citizen.
That's right, Mindy.And there's so many ways you can be involved, no matter how old you are.
So we've decided to team up with our friends at The Week Junior to learn all about elections.
The category for today's special round of Two What's and a Wow is... Elections!Mindy, why don't you refresh our contestants on how the game works?
You know it!Wowzers, in each of our three rounds today, Guy Raz and I will present you with three statements about elections. But, and this is a big but, only one of those statements will be a true wow.The other two, just a couple of made up, what?
In each round, if you guess correctly, congratulations, you get a point.But if you guess incorrectly, you must stop, drop, and do a ridonkulous physical challenge.
And for this special election edition of Two What's in a Wow, all of the winning wows will come from junior council members of the week junior.Okay, everyone ready to start the game?Great, then let's get to it.Round one.
Which of the following statements best describes the Electoral College?Is it A, the Electoral College is where George Washington went to school?
Or is it B, the Electoral College is a group of people who elect the President and Vice President of the United States based on which candidate received the most votes in their state.
Or is it C, the Electoral College is just another name for Congress.
When you think you have the correct answer, shout it out like a campaign slogan.Reggie, cue the thinking music.
And time is up.Let's now reveal the winning wow.
And to do just that, let's hear from the Wheat Junior Council Member, Aline, from Pennsylvania.Aline, take it away.
Hi, my name is Aline and I'm a Junior Council Member at the Wheat Junior.
I live in Pennsylvania, and my wow is that the Electoral College is a group of people who elect the President and Vice President of the United States based on which candidate received the most votes in their state.Winner, winner, college for dinner!
Thank you, Aline.Contestants, if you guessed the answer B, that the Electoral College is a group of people who elect the President and Vice President, well, congratulations, you found the winning wow.
That's right, Guy Raz, the winner of the presidential election is not necessarily the candidate who receives the most votes on election day.Rather, it's the candidate who receives the most electoral votes with a very special group called the
The Electoral College is a group made up of 538 people, or electors, from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.Each state gets one elector for every representative and senator they have in Congress.
Because the number of representatives a state has depends on its population or people or citizens who live there, the more citizens you have, the more electors you get.
That's right, Mindy.This year, for example, California, the most populated state in the U.S., has 54 electors, whereas a state with a smaller population like Delaware only has three electors.
and each elector has one vote.
All a candidate needs to win the presidency is just 270 electoral votes.No big deal, right?Okay, time for round two.Which of the following statements about ancient elections is the true wow?
Is it A, in ancient Sparta, candidates were elected based on the volume of a crowd's applause?
Or is it B, in ancient Greece, kids were allowed to vote?
Or is it C, to vote in ancient Rome, you had to sing your favorite candidate's name at the voting booth?
When you think you have the correct answer, shout it out in your most presidential screaming voice.
And time is up.Let's now reveal the winning wow.
And to do just that, let's hear from another junior council member at the Week Junior, Aiden from Washington.Aiden, what's the wow?
Hi, my name is Aiden, and I'm a junior council member at the Week Junior, and I live in Washington.My wow is that in ancient Sparta, Candidates were elected based on the volume of a crowd's applause. Winner, winner, applause for dinner!
That's right, Aiden.Wowsers, if you guessed A, that candidates were elected based on crowd applause in ancient Sparta, well, congratulations.You found the winning wow.
Cue the applause, Wowsers.It's true.Spartans would cheer for their favorite candidates, and the winner of the election was whichever candidate had the loudest cheers, according to judges hidden in another room.
Okay, time for round three.Which of the following statements is a true wow about voting?Is it A, in the case of a tie in the Senate, the vice president is the tie-breaking vote?
Or is it B, former presidents are not allowed to vote in presidential elections?
Or is it C, Grandma G-Force has voted in every election since 1800?
When you think you have the correct answer, hum the Star Spangled Banner with your mouth closed.And time is up. And to do just that, let's hear from a junior council member at the Week Junior, Brennan from Montana.
Brennan, tell us, what's the winning wow?
Hi, my name is Brennan.I'm a junior council member at the Week Junior, and I live in Montana.My wow is that the vice president is the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. Winner, winner, ties for dinner!
That's right, Brennan.Wowzers, if you guessed A, that in the case of a tie in the Senate, the vice president is the tie-breaking vote, well, congratulations.You found the winning wow.
Throughout the year, senators vote on bills, amendments, motions, and a whole lot more.And since there are 100 senators, sometimes there can be a 50-50 tie.
And one of the duties of the Vice President is being the President of the Senate, which means the VP gets to be the deciding vote in the case of a tie.
And in the case of a bow tie, it's a whole different process.Now, if you did not get that answer correct, you must stop, drop, and recite the Declaration of Independence upside down. And now it's time to take a moment to thank our sponsors.
But first, we have a very special message from our very own Dennis.Take it away, Dennis.
Yes.Thank you, Mindy.Hello, everyone.I'm Dennis, the star of the hit podcast, Wee Wow on the Weekend, and the star of Wow in the World. OK, fine, I'm a small star on Wow in the World, but I don't just want to be a famous star celebrity hotshot.
I also want to be Young President.That's right, Reggie, President!I want to be the President of your Neighborhood Snoop Society Chapter.Some say I'm too qualified to be President of the Neighborhood Snoop Society Chapter,
And to that I say, yes, I probably am.But I promise that I, Dennis, will use my Snoopy qualifications to Snoop for you.And about you.As your president, I will watch the goings on of the entire neighborhood.
I will Snoop off the groceries at the grocery store.I will Snoop on all the new sneakers at the mall. I will snoop until I can snoop no more!Which has never happened in my entire life, thank you.I'm Dennis and I approve this message.
This campaign message was paid for by the Dennis for Snoop Society President Committee.
Okay, why don't we take a quick break and hear some other important messages for grown-ups.
Two What's in a Wow will be right back.Grownups, this message is for you.That's it.Now back to the show.
Welcome back to Two What's in a Wow.
Two What's in a Wow.The scientific game show, or in this case, the political scientific game show that separates the wows from the what's. What was that?Oh, Guy Raz, that sound can mean only one thing.
You brought a bald eagle into the studio again?
Well, I did, but that sound means it's time for today's Bunker Balls bonus round.And for today's round, we are shaking things up a bit.
Every week, our friends at The Week Junior ask curious kids like you to take a poll on important topics.For example, one of their big debates was if kids should be allowed to vote in elections.
And then they share the results in the next week's edition so you can hear what other kids like you have to say.
For this week's special election episode, we thought we'd ask you to debate a very important topic that's near and dear to our hearts.And that question is, is a hot dog a sandwich?
This is a historically difficult question, and even Supreme Court justices have different answers for this age-old debate.That's right.
It was recently announced that Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson believes a hot dog is a sandwich, whereas former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer says sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.
Wowzers, why don't we settle the debate once and for all?You can cast your vote for whether you think a hot dog is or isn't a sandwich at Tinkercast.com slash vote.
Grownups will announce the results of this poll on our Wow in the World Instagram and Facebook channels next Friday.
Well, congratulations to all of our winning wowsers.Mindy, what's today's prize?
Guy Raz, today's winning wowsers will all be taking home their very own campaign slogan!
Uh, Mindy, I don't think we can put campaign slogans in the prize cannon.
Oh, yes we can, Guy Raz.Reggie, cue the prize cannon! Oh, look at them go.They're all so catchy.
Well, that's about all the time we have for today, but the wow doesn't stop here.
Oh, no.There are so many different ways that you can get involved on Election Day or even after Election Day.
For instance, did you know that kids can go to the polls on election day?Kids in all 50 U.S.states and the District of Columbia can attend the polls with a parent or guardian.
That's right, Guy Raz.And even if you're not old enough to vote yet, you always have a voice.You can call or write your representatives about issues that matter to you.You can even write a letter to the President of the United States.
That's right, Mindy.And for issues that you care about in your local community, you can also attend or speak at local city council meetings.
And in some cities, like San Diego, California, there are Mayor for the Day contests, where a student can shadow their mayor to learn what it's like to be a civic leader firsthand.
Well, thank you all for listening and to our friends from the Week Junior for joining us on this special round of Two What's in a Wow.
If you want to keep the fun going, then become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers and unlock hundreds of activities.
And for any teachers or homeschoolers listening, be sure to check out Tinkerclass.It's our free project-based learning program.Just visit Tinkercast.com slash membership.That's Tinkercast.com slash membership.
And be sure to come back on Monday for a brand new episode of Wow in the World.
And again on Friday for a new episode of Two What's in a Wow.And don't forget the weekends.We wow on the weekend with Dennis.
Until then, keep on wowing!
Grownups, if you like Wow in the World, you can listen early and ad-free right now on Wondery+.
Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Wondery Kids Plus on Apple Podcasts.Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music.
And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.
Two What's in a Wow is executive produced by Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Mindy Thomas, and me, Guy Raz.
Our writers are Ruth Morrison and Anna Zagorski, with collaboration from our head writer, Kenny Curtis.
Sound production and design is by Marion Lozano, with help from Jed Anderson and Tyler Thull.
Special thanks to Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Lizzie Freilich, Kristen Yang, Thuy Mac, Erica Medina, Henry Moskell, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski, and all of the other Tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
Our theme song was written and composed by The Pop-Ups.For more on their three-time Grammy-nominated all-ages music, find them at thepopups.com.
And to keep the wow rolling after you finish this episode, you can visit us at tinkercast.com.
There, you can become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers to get year-round mailings and weekly activities, shop our Wow Shop, get tickets for upcoming events, find our best-selling books, and learn all about the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Grownups, you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at wowintheworld, and our email address is hello at tinkercast.com.
Finally, if you're a kid with a big wow to share, it could be used on an upcoming episode of 2 What's in a Wow.Call us at 1-888-7-wowwow.
Thanks again for listening, and playing along, meet us back here next Friday, or every Monday for Wow in the World.
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
Sign in
