America is proud of its democratic values: accountable leaders, honest voting and a free press. But recently Americans have begun to ask Whose Democracy Is It? Join the debate with a week of special coverage on public radio stations and the Web.

Monday Nov. 3:

AirTalk: We explore the city council and school board elections coming up on Tuesday in Lynwood, which has been rocked by political scandals and a recent recall of its own.

Talk of the City: The latest developments in voting technology.

7 p.m.

Whose Vote Counts? American RadioWorks and the Center for Investigative Reporting - St. Paul, MN In the last presidential election, as many as six million votes weren't counted because of antiquated voting machines and confusion at the polls. America pledged to overhaul its voting system, but are we ready for 2004? American RadioWorks and the Center for Investigative Reporting try to find out. (51:45)

Tuesday Nov. 4:

Talk of the City: The role and influence of losers in politics.

7 p.m.:

Democracy on the Block WFUV - New York City John Flansburgh of the band They Might Be Giants moonlights as a tour guide in this sound-rich, music-filled hour looking at informal, overlooked and sometimes quirky democracies. Stops on the tour include a playground, a coop apartment building, and Coney Island's freak show. New Yorkers explain why their mini democracies work in their communities, and how they fit into the ever-changing American democracy. (59:00)

Wednesday Nov. 5:

AirTalk: The results of the city council and school board elections in Lynwood.

Talk of the City: Inteviews with a couple of winners of elections in different southern California communities.

7 p.m.

The President Calling American RadioWorks - St. Paul, MN Three of America's most compelling presidents - Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon - tapped their telephones, leaving behind a trove of secretly-made audio tapes, recording thousands of conversations, from momentous to mundane. In this project, American RadioWorks eavesdrops on presidential telephone calls to hear how each man used one-on-one politics to shape history. (50:45)

Thursday Nov. 6:

During Morning Edition:

Grassroots Democracy by the Sea Neighborhood councils have worked in other cities. Now they're being tried in LA. Robin Urevich visits Venice, California, where the council has become a battleground in a fight over gentrification. The process is a window on the challenges councils through the city face. (7:48)

Talk of the City: Neighborhood councils: Part One. The birth of neighborhood councils in Los Angeles, and what makes them unique.

7 p.m.

What Can I Say? Sara Fishko/WNYC - New York City Right now, as "loyalty" and "treason" are being redefined by world events, so are cultural expressions of patriotism and dissent. From "message" pictures in the old Hollywood, to morale-building songs, to satirists' comic visions, politics and mass culture have been inexorably linked. (54:06)

Friday Nov. 7:

During Morning Edition:

Revolution South of LA Early this year, South Gate removed a corrupt government with a recall election. KPCC's Adolfo Guzman Lopez covered that race. In this feature, he returns to South Gate to see how the new democracy is working. (08:21)

AirTalk: Return to South Gate. A remote broadcast from South Gate city hall checking in on the local democratic revolution that ousted a corrupt city government at the beginning of the year.

Talk of the City: Neighborhood Councils: Part Two. Comparing and contrasting LA's experiment with neighborhood council systems in St. Paul and Portland.

Noon: California Recalled,

California Recalled The California Recall election tested many of our notions about direct democracy. This documentary outlines the events leading up to the recall and the race. It also asks key players to look back on these events and assess whether they'll change the way we think about democracy.

Saturday November 8:

10 a.m. to noon: Exporting Democracy - The World Speaks, a live international call-in show, produced by the BBC World Service and WNYC in New York.

The U.S. has worked to export its brand of democracy to Asia, Africa, eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America - with mixed results. It is trying anew in Iraq. Major colonial powers equally worked to implant their systems abroad. Is Western democracy good for the world ... or just another example of cultural imperialism?

Through a collaboration between BBC World Service's Talking Point program and WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show, listeners around the world will be able to speak their minds and hear other views on Exporting Democracy live at 1 p.m. Eastern Saturday, November 8. The event will last two hours, and calls will be accepted via a U.S.-based toll-free number and a London-based international number. The BBC's Robin Lustig and WNYC's Brian Lehrer will shepherd a conversation touching on the U.S. role in Iraq, the differences between U.S. and European forms of democracy and the governmental legacy of colonialism. A collection of diverse guests will be on tap to answer questions, provide context, and inject facts into the conversation - though callers will drive the content. More guest information available late September.

Sunday November 9:

6-9 p.m.: That Democracy Show - A youth special. A live national call-in show, produced by rlpaulproductions and WAMU of Washington DC. Hear teens debate zero tolerance drug policies, segregation in the cafeteria, government authority, why foreign countries hate America, and whether it's better to change our system from inside or outside. Teens confront marketers about the link between democracy and capitalism - how choices get shaped as companies try to "capture" the youth market. WNYC's Radio Rookies share their views of how democracy works for teens in life and in school. And inner-city American high school students talk with students in Iraq. The live program features fast-moving recorded segments, music, commentaries, debates and call-ins. It includes kids who want to be tomorrow's politicians and those who want to be tomorrow's rebels.

9 p.m. - California Recalled, produced by KPCC's Frank Stoltze and Anthea Raymond Beckler. See Nov. 7 listing.

See more specials and documentaries.