From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

Politics in the other superpower.

Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Poet from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

While the world waits to see if there will be leadership change in Washington in China, it's guaranteed, but nothing will be out in the open.

The Communist Party is about to start meeting behind closed doors to endorse the tiny group who will run the number two superpower for the next 10 years.

It's the biggest turnover since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. It'll

have worldwide consequences, but nobody knows just what to expect. Today we'll hear about murder,

corruption, public unrest, and the uncertain future of the economic miracle. On the Porter's

notebook later on, anonymous contributions to America's political campaigns. First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International Program Fund.

Hello again, Warren Alney, back with To the Point. As Americans go to the polls, China is beginning the secret week-long

process of choosing new leaders

for the next 10 years. We'll hear why this transition is so different from those that have gone

before and what's at stake for China and for the rest of the world. On reporters notebook,

do voters have a right to know who spends money for and against ballot propositions? Just wait

until somebody tries to find out.

First, this news update.

The early stories about today's election feature long lines and long waits, provisional ballots, election monitors,

with political agendas and the potential for automatic recounts.

Wendy Weiser is trying to keep track of it all.

She's director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School. Good to have you on our program.

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