Ballot Talks: Ex-offenders, cigarette tax, and social media

Guests: Jondhi Harrell, Kevin McCorry, Daniel Kreiss

Yesterday, Governor Tom Corbett signed a bill that will increase Philadelphia’s cigarette tax, which is intended to assuage the city’s school budget deficit. On this edition of Ballot Talks with guest host Mary Cummings-Jordan, we take a look at the politics behind the approved bill with WHYY’s education reporter, KEVIN McCORRY.  But first, JONDHI HARRELL, founder of The Center for Returning Citizens Philadelphia, joins us to talk about the BLOC Party Rally at Vernon Park, which aims to encourage ex-offenders to register to vote in the November election.  And later in the hour, we speak with DANIEL KREISS, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC Chapel Hill, about the ways in which social media has shaped the modern-day political campaign.