WEBVTT - Reframing Election Day

0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:14.520
<v Speaker 1>Good morning, peeps, and welcome to wok F Daily with

0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:19.160
<v Speaker 1>Me your Girl, Daniel Moody recording from the Home Bunker. Folks,

0:00:19.360 --> 0:00:23.919
<v Speaker 1>I'm very excited for you to hear this episode coming

0:00:24.040 --> 0:00:28.840
<v Speaker 1>up because we have had the good, good pleasure of

0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:33.879
<v Speaker 1>speaking with Chris Melody Fields Figurio at BALLID Initiative Strategy

0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.680
<v Speaker 1>Center on a number of occasions. Right, and this time

0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:42.519
<v Speaker 1>this conversation takes place with roughly, as she says, for

0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:47.199
<v Speaker 1>tuesdays to go until the election is over, right, because

0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:51.640
<v Speaker 1>I think that we need a really important reframing around

0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:55.240
<v Speaker 1>election day. They are already more than half of the

0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:58.760
<v Speaker 1>states in this country have begun voting in this election,

0:00:59.000 --> 0:01:02.040
<v Speaker 1>and so November fifth is not the first day, but

0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:06.039
<v Speaker 1>the last day to vote. And Chris walks us through

0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:12.360
<v Speaker 1>the different ways that the Republican Party is using lies

0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:17.640
<v Speaker 1>and distortion and gas lighting in order to confuse voters

0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:21.280
<v Speaker 1>with a number of ballot initiatives that they are running

0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:27.200
<v Speaker 1>in states like Nebraska and Colorado and Arizona where you

0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:30.200
<v Speaker 1>have really important issues that are on the ballot, whether

0:01:30.280 --> 0:01:34.560
<v Speaker 1>that be an abortion ban, whether that is defunding of

0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:38.840
<v Speaker 1>public schools, as what is on the ballot in Colorado,

0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:42.520
<v Speaker 1>whether it is lowering wages for workers as it is

0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:46.800
<v Speaker 1>in Arizona. Republicans know that they can't win. They can't

0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:50.120
<v Speaker 1>win on their policies because their policies are unpopular, and

0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:54.400
<v Speaker 1>rather than address the needs of the American people, they

0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:58.480
<v Speaker 1>choose instead to force feed the public, whether they want

0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:02.520
<v Speaker 1>it or notitiatives and doing so under the cloak of

0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:06.400
<v Speaker 1>darkness or the cloak of lies. And you know, it

0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:10.720
<v Speaker 1>is the work that Chris is doing at Ballot Initiative

0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:15.680
<v Speaker 1>Strategy Center to ensure that people know what they're voting

0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:20.119
<v Speaker 1>for and understand what their yes and no vote actually

0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:24.800
<v Speaker 1>means to their future, to their day to day lives.

0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:31.080
<v Speaker 1>And you know, if you can imagine, there are close

0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:34.120
<v Speaker 1>to one hundred and fifty ballot measures that people will

0:02:34.120 --> 0:02:38.399
<v Speaker 1>be voting on in roughly forty one states across this country,

0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:40.600
<v Speaker 1>as well as the presidential But the only thing that

0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:43.440
<v Speaker 1>we're focusing on is that top of the ticket, But

0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:48.560
<v Speaker 1>on people's ballots after you're checking down those boxes, when

0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:52.440
<v Speaker 1>you flip over, there are really important ballot initiatives that

0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:55.280
<v Speaker 1>are out there that are there to either give you

0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.520
<v Speaker 1>more rights or take away your rights. So I implore

0:02:58.600 --> 0:03:02.960
<v Speaker 1>people to do your actual real research and head over

0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:07.919
<v Speaker 1>to the Ballot Initiative where they provide the context that

0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:11.240
<v Speaker 1>you need to understand so you know what you are

0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:16.200
<v Speaker 1>voting for. So that conversation, important conversation with Chris is

0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:23.840
<v Speaker 1>coming up next, folks. I am so happy when I

0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:26.720
<v Speaker 1>have the opportunity to sit down with our friend over

0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:32.960
<v Speaker 1>at Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, Chris Melody Fields Figuriedo. Chris.

0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:38.240
<v Speaker 1>There are I don't even know, let's just say they're like,

0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:41.040
<v Speaker 1>I think we're at the time of this recording, thirty

0:03:41.080 --> 0:03:45.560
<v Speaker 1>three days until the election, correct, and which every time

0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:49.280
<v Speaker 1>I say that I and the ticker goes down, it's

0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:53.360
<v Speaker 1>like my stomach drops. And you know, while we're focused

0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:56.680
<v Speaker 1>obviously at the top of the ticket and who the

0:03:56.720 --> 0:03:59.000
<v Speaker 1>next president of the United States will be and whether

0:03:59.080 --> 0:04:04.840
<v Speaker 1>or not democracy survive, there are an overwhelming number of

0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:10.040
<v Speaker 1>ballot measures that Americans across the country in forty one

0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:14.520
<v Speaker 1>states and Washington, DC will be voting on that your

0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:18.760
<v Speaker 1>organization is following. Talk to us about just you know,

0:04:18.839 --> 0:04:20.760
<v Speaker 1>I know, I ask you every time that you come

0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:23.760
<v Speaker 1>on to kind of lay out to us what ballot

0:04:23.800 --> 0:04:27.320
<v Speaker 1>measures are, the importance of them, give it to us

0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:32.520
<v Speaker 1>in the context of some that like what's at stake

0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:35.960
<v Speaker 1>in some of these states, so that people understand that

0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:40.080
<v Speaker 1>after they finished checking president, you know this that the

0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:42.440
<v Speaker 1>other thing that for many you got to turn over

0:04:42.520 --> 0:04:45.480
<v Speaker 1>your ballot and here are all of the initiatives in

0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:47.080
<v Speaker 1>your state. So talk to us about that.

0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.080
<v Speaker 2>I would love to and thank you for having me again,

0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:52.599
<v Speaker 2>and not to give you any more anxiety, but to

0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:56.400
<v Speaker 2>give you even more compacts. We are four tuesdays away, y'all. Okay,

0:04:56.400 --> 0:05:01.200
<v Speaker 2>people are already voting. Okay, right, And so in the

0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:05.040
<v Speaker 2>states across the country. Really, the fundamental thing that is

0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:08.520
<v Speaker 2>at stake that is also playing out with Bawel measures

0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:12.840
<v Speaker 2>is freedom and democracy. And if you think about it

0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:17.920
<v Speaker 2>from the perspective of the reproductive rights ballel measures, the

0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:22.480
<v Speaker 2>fight for reproductive freedom is the fight for democracy. Think

0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:26.560
<v Speaker 2>about the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs and overturning roversus

0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:29.360
<v Speaker 2>Wade right, that's a part of our democracy. And then

0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:32.719
<v Speaker 2>the effect of that has been not only these abortion

0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:35.599
<v Speaker 2>bands in the States and these bills that have been passed,

0:05:35.800 --> 0:05:39.320
<v Speaker 2>but it has been upon us, the people, the active

0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:43.919
<v Speaker 2>participants of our democracy, to say that those decisions that

0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:46.000
<v Speaker 2>were made for us are actually not the world that

0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:48.640
<v Speaker 2>we want to live with. And so we are engaging

0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:52.159
<v Speaker 2>in our democracy and in ten states we are going

0:05:52.200 --> 0:05:55.680
<v Speaker 2>to vote yes for reproductive freedom because we think that

0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:59.240
<v Speaker 2>this is a private medical decision between a person who

0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.320
<v Speaker 2>is pregnant and their doctor, and then we shouldn't criminalize

0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:05.520
<v Speaker 2>people and their doctors, right like. That is what is

0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.760
<v Speaker 2>at stake here in the in the freedom and I

0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:11.440
<v Speaker 2>think the majority of us, and what we've already seen

0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:17.400
<v Speaker 2>is we actually do agree on things like reproductive freedom, life,

0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:21.080
<v Speaker 2>the importance of public education, life, the importance of raising

0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:23.640
<v Speaker 2>wages for people. The more of us, regardless of our

0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:27.520
<v Speaker 2>party affiliation, sometimes actually believe that is a way of

0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:30.760
<v Speaker 2>caring for each other. And so we are taking the

0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:34.080
<v Speaker 2>power and the agency into our own hands. And that

0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:38.320
<v Speaker 2>is why we are seeing these tricks come up, which

0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:41.800
<v Speaker 2>we always do in every ce, see these these dirty

0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:45.400
<v Speaker 2>tricks in every election cycle that can make it really

0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:48.840
<v Speaker 2>confusing for voters of what they may or may not

0:06:49.000 --> 0:06:52.039
<v Speaker 2>vote on. So that's what is really at stake in

0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:56.120
<v Speaker 2>this selection. And let's get into detail about exactly what

0:06:56.120 --> 0:06:58.520
<v Speaker 2>what are those those dirty tricks that I know you're

0:06:58.560 --> 0:06:59.440
<v Speaker 2>thinking about.

0:06:59.400 --> 0:07:03.200
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, because here's the thing, Like, it's one thing to

0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:05.600
<v Speaker 1>get the signatures that you need to put up the

0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:11.640
<v Speaker 1>initiatives free and clear of distortion, free and clear of lies,

0:07:12.320 --> 0:07:15.800
<v Speaker 1>and allow the voters to have their say. But what

0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:18.840
<v Speaker 1>you all have been following, I want to go to

0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:25.480
<v Speaker 1>Nebraska first. Where you have been following are nefarious tactics

0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:29.440
<v Speaker 1>that are being used. So talk to us about the

0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:33.200
<v Speaker 1>twelve week abortion ban. They are in Nebraska titled the

0:07:33.280 --> 0:07:36.640
<v Speaker 1>Protect Women and Children Constitutional Amendment.

0:07:37.360 --> 0:07:39.200
<v Speaker 2>Well there it is right there in the title, and

0:07:39.240 --> 0:07:43.120
<v Speaker 2>that is what is often very confusing to people. And

0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:45.520
<v Speaker 2>what I ask of people is like to read between

0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:48.160
<v Speaker 2>the lines and read the details. So if you're a

0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:52.240
<v Speaker 2>voter in Nebraska, you're going to have two about measures

0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:56.560
<v Speaker 2>about abortion. One that is going to actually give reproductive

0:07:56.560 --> 0:08:01.040
<v Speaker 2>freedom and allow people to get that healthcare access, and

0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:04.200
<v Speaker 2>then there's one that is an actual ban. And in

0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:08.480
<v Speaker 2>particular in Nebraska, that abortion ban is the first thing

0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:10.600
<v Speaker 2>that's going to be when you go to that section

0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:13.520
<v Speaker 2>on your ballot. That's the first thing that's going to appear.

0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.280
<v Speaker 2>And on the bottom of the five measures that you

0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:19.240
<v Speaker 2>can vote on in Nebraska, at the bottom is the

0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:22.120
<v Speaker 2>one that actually is going to give you reproductive freedom.

0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:25.640
<v Speaker 2>So this is what we call a countermeasure. So we

0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:30.600
<v Speaker 2>know that reproductive freedom is incredibly popular. They gathered enough signatures,

0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:34.080
<v Speaker 2>we have been gathered singers across the country to put

0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:37.000
<v Speaker 2>these issues on the reproductive freedom on the ballot, and

0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:41.480
<v Speaker 2>then we've seen this countermeasure by the opposition that also

0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:45.640
<v Speaker 2>will confuse voters and they're not going to know exactly

0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:49.440
<v Speaker 2>what they're voting on. So that's why voter education is

0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:54.479
<v Speaker 2>so critically important this year. There's another ballot measure in Arizona.

0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:58.400
<v Speaker 2>The way it is titled is the Tips Worker Protection Act,

0:08:58.679 --> 0:09:02.319
<v Speaker 2>which if you hear that on its well, that sounds great, right,

0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:06.720
<v Speaker 2>but actually it is going to treat tipped workers as

0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:10.679
<v Speaker 2>a subclass of workers and they could be paid twenty

0:09:10.720 --> 0:09:15.200
<v Speaker 2>five percent less per hour than the minimum wage in

0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:19.520
<v Speaker 2>the states. So that's something that what is playing out.

0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:23.679
<v Speaker 2>I mean, in Ohio they also were handed really bad

0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:27.800
<v Speaker 2>language on their redistricting ballot measure from the ballot board.

0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:30.840
<v Speaker 2>This is something they legally challenge and what we've seen

0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:34.400
<v Speaker 2>across the countries, everything is coming up in these legal

0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:38.360
<v Speaker 2>challenges where again the language, the way it is written

0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:44.600
<v Speaker 2>is incredibly biased, it's incredibly deceptive. We know that ohioans

0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:48.800
<v Speaker 2>that we are in fair of ending jerry managering in

0:09:48.880 --> 0:09:51.840
<v Speaker 2>their state and won a fair redistricting process, but the

0:09:51.880 --> 0:09:56.400
<v Speaker 2>way that the language is written makes people think that

0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:58.640
<v Speaker 2>that's not what they're voting for when you actually yes,

0:09:58.720 --> 0:10:01.880
<v Speaker 2>you should vote yes for that redistricting bowel measure in

0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:06.079
<v Speaker 2>Ohio because it is actually going to create a more fair,

0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:11.960
<v Speaker 2>citizen driven process to draw the lines in your state.

0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:15.120
<v Speaker 2>And so this is what we often see, and we've

0:10:15.160 --> 0:10:21.440
<v Speaker 2>seen it escalate, especially around these reproductive freedom measures, as

0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:24.120
<v Speaker 2>we have seen that really the people are in opposition

0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:27.840
<v Speaker 2>to our elected officials, to the people that we're putting

0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:30.680
<v Speaker 2>into office. They're actually not listening to the will of

0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:34.240
<v Speaker 2>the voters, and they are pulling out every trick in

0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:39.920
<v Speaker 2>the book to undermine our power, to undermine our voices

0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:45.440
<v Speaker 2>through these deceptive light, these deceptive languages, through this missing

0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:49.320
<v Speaker 2>disinformation that we're seeing out there. And what is really

0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.640
<v Speaker 2>required of all of us is to do the hard

0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:56.600
<v Speaker 2>work and read between the lines and really understand the

0:10:56.720 --> 0:11:00.240
<v Speaker 2>language and not just read the title right that can

0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:03.280
<v Speaker 2>be the very confusing, but really read the details of

0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:05.959
<v Speaker 2>what we may need to vote for, like in the

0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:09.360
<v Speaker 2>case of Ohio, was redistricting or what we may need

0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:13.880
<v Speaker 2>to vote against, like that Arizona proposition of one point

0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:17.080
<v Speaker 2>thirty eight that actually is not going to help tip towards.

0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:25.000
<v Speaker 1>The reality here is that Republicans are liars, Like it

0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:28.680
<v Speaker 1>isn't just Donald Trump, it isn't just a JD Vance,

0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:32.720
<v Speaker 1>It is the entire infrastructure that commands the Republican Party.

0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:35.640
<v Speaker 1>Because why would you have to lie to voters about

0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:38.600
<v Speaker 1>a ballot initiative that you thought that they would readily

0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:41.679
<v Speaker 1>vote yes on. Why would you have to use deceptive

0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.800
<v Speaker 1>tactics in order to change your fonts or misconstrue your

0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:47.480
<v Speaker 1>language and not just say clear what it is.

0:11:48.600 --> 0:11:53.360
<v Speaker 2>Well, it's because the reality is they can't win unfair terms,

0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:57.240
<v Speaker 2>and so they're changing the rules. They are deceiving voters

0:11:57.280 --> 0:12:00.360
<v Speaker 2>because that is the only way they know how to win,

0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:04.280
<v Speaker 2>because they are not on the side of the majority

0:12:04.280 --> 0:12:07.600
<v Speaker 2>of voters. And this is including their own constituents. If

0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:11.600
<v Speaker 2>you look at many of these progressive quote unquote progressive

0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:15.640
<v Speaker 2>right issues like raising the minimum wage, like Medicaid expansion,

0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:20.840
<v Speaker 2>like reproductive freedom, like very districting right, they have won

0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:27.520
<v Speaker 2>regardless party affiliation. That means Republicans, Democrats, independents are all

0:12:27.559 --> 0:12:31.080
<v Speaker 2>coming to vote together to vote yes on these issues.

0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:36.520
<v Speaker 2>And that is an opposition of their decided upon agenda

0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:39.839
<v Speaker 2>of what they are trying to push when they are

0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:44.640
<v Speaker 2>in power. And that is why these issues are so

0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:50.880
<v Speaker 2>fundamental to our democracy because in an ideal world, our

0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:56.120
<v Speaker 2>representative government right, it's responsive to us. But the reality

0:12:56.280 --> 0:13:00.560
<v Speaker 2>is we are moving closer to authoritarianism. We are towards

0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:06.679
<v Speaker 2>minority rule because unfortunately one particular party does not think

0:13:07.000 --> 0:13:09.760
<v Speaker 2>that they can win on fair frounds.

0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:16.880
<v Speaker 1>It just becomes so incredibly disheartening, Chris, for us to

0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:21.760
<v Speaker 1>try and work inside of a system that is becoming

0:13:22.400 --> 0:13:28.400
<v Speaker 1>increasingly rigged by the Republican Party. Like you said, they

0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:33.079
<v Speaker 1>move the goalpost consistently, they rewrite the rules consistently so

0:13:33.160 --> 0:13:38.040
<v Speaker 1>that they can win. So what is it that organizations

0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:42.480
<v Speaker 1>like yours now are tasked with doing that is different

0:13:42.679 --> 0:13:47.240
<v Speaker 1>than let's say, eight and nine years ago, given how

0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:52.480
<v Speaker 1>the seeds of doubt and confusion have been planted about

0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:54.080
<v Speaker 1>our systems in general.

0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.520
<v Speaker 2>It's such a good question, Danielle, because at the same time,

0:13:58.559 --> 0:14:01.320
<v Speaker 2>an award that often comes up to me is simultaneity,

0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:05.200
<v Speaker 2>we're asking people to have faith in a system that,

0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.440
<v Speaker 2>for many of us, and we've talked about this before,

0:14:07.920 --> 0:14:10.200
<v Speaker 2>was never designed for us, especially if you're talking about

0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:12.600
<v Speaker 2>black and brown folks, if you're talking about queer folks, right,

0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:17.520
<v Speaker 2>you're talking about women. We're asking them to have faith

0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:20.640
<v Speaker 2>in a system that at the same time, those who

0:14:20.640 --> 0:14:23.760
<v Speaker 2>are in power are trying to change those rules. And

0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:27.520
<v Speaker 2>we're saying, hey, I need you to vote or be

0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:32.000
<v Speaker 2>a part of this, because actually, the only way we

0:14:32.240 --> 0:14:37.240
<v Speaker 2>change that system is by forcing those people who are

0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:41.200
<v Speaker 2>not listening either out of office or taking power into

0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:46.200
<v Speaker 2>our own hands and putting these issues before the ballot.

0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:49.720
<v Speaker 2>And then the reality is it is and I tell

0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.360
<v Speaker 2>people this that, like your vote is hurt, three of

0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:56.280
<v Speaker 2>a longer process, right, it's just the beginning of a

0:14:56.400 --> 0:15:01.720
<v Speaker 2>longer process for all of us to be civic participants

0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:05.200
<v Speaker 2>in the decisions that matter for our lives. So we

0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:08.680
<v Speaker 2>are asking you to have faith in maybe not in

0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:10.800
<v Speaker 2>the system, but in the people who are working that

0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:14.800
<v Speaker 2>are on your side. I have faith in you and

0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:19.080
<v Speaker 2>myself and my community, in the organizations that we work with,

0:15:19.160 --> 0:15:21.720
<v Speaker 2>because I know how much they care and love their

0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:25.240
<v Speaker 2>communities and I have faith in them, and so I'm

0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:27.400
<v Speaker 2>asking you to participate in the system that may not

0:15:27.440 --> 0:15:31.440
<v Speaker 2>be perfect. It is not perfect, right, But the only

0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:35.840
<v Speaker 2>way we can potentially change that system moving forward is

0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:40.440
<v Speaker 2>not by simply abandoning it, is by participating in it

0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:43.240
<v Speaker 2>and then going back and making demands, whether it's through

0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:47.360
<v Speaker 2>our state legislature, whether it's through a rules process, right like,

0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:49.840
<v Speaker 2>these are the things that this is how we are

0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:53.840
<v Speaker 2>governed in this country, and we just can't sit back

0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:58.400
<v Speaker 2>after election day and the reality after this particular election day,

0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:01.880
<v Speaker 2>the process is not going to be over. We are

0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:05.239
<v Speaker 2>going to have to think about the certification of these elections.

0:16:05.360 --> 0:16:08.400
<v Speaker 2>And so what I'm asking folks is is like to

0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:14.040
<v Speaker 2>be these active participants, to hold power accountable and to

0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:17.280
<v Speaker 2>do the work to change those systems that aren't right

0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:18.640
<v Speaker 2>now working for us.

0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:21.760
<v Speaker 1>I appreciate the idea that we have to have faith

0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:27.560
<v Speaker 1>in each other at a time when institutions and infrastructure

0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:30.320
<v Speaker 1>are being tested, that we have to have faith in

0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:32.760
<v Speaker 1>in the people. And I think that that, to me

0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:38.360
<v Speaker 1>is probably the most insidious piece of what has helped

0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:42.800
<v Speaker 1>to distort and undo our faith in democracy is to

0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:46.920
<v Speaker 1>pit neighbor against neighbor, person against person is to instill

0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:51.880
<v Speaker 1>this sense of distrust and fear. And so because the

0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:54.640
<v Speaker 1>idea is that if you lose faith in institution and

0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:58.840
<v Speaker 1>you lose faith in people, then that is how authoritarianism

0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:05.920
<v Speaker 1>comes in. As people have begun voting in more than

0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:08.680
<v Speaker 1>half of the states, That's the thing that I kind

0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.040
<v Speaker 1>of had a reframe around is that the election is

0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:14.520
<v Speaker 1>not in four tuesdays, as you said, but the election

0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:18.320
<v Speaker 1>is over in four tuesdays because the election has already begun.

0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:24.000
<v Speaker 1>So what do you say to folks right now that

0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:28.159
<v Speaker 1>are feeling a sense of disillusionment that are just you know,

0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:31.880
<v Speaker 1>we at the time of this recording, we had yet

0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:35.320
<v Speaker 1>another bomb drop with regard to Donald Trump in January

0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:38.439
<v Speaker 1>sixth and trying to overturn the election and turn our

0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:42.280
<v Speaker 1>elections into a circus essentially, right, like, we're here because

0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:45.159
<v Speaker 1>of the decisions that were made four years ago to

0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:48.200
<v Speaker 1>discount the results of an election. If Donald Trump had said, yes,

0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:50.359
<v Speaker 1>I lost, and then but I'm running again in twenty

0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:52.960
<v Speaker 1>twenty four, we all would have gone about our business. Okay,

0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:55.600
<v Speaker 1>see you again in twenty twenty four, right, But that's

0:17:55.640 --> 0:17:58.480
<v Speaker 1>not what they did. So what do you say to

0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:02.320
<v Speaker 1>people now that are readying their ballots to cast or

0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:06.400
<v Speaker 1>have already about the future of our democracy and their

0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:08.440
<v Speaker 1>place in it.

0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.919
<v Speaker 2>It's such an important question because I go back to this,

0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:15.600
<v Speaker 2>this word that is constantly in my head around simultanety.

0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:20.600
<v Speaker 2>Many things can be true at once, and this what

0:18:20.760 --> 0:18:24.080
<v Speaker 2>is happening right now with the people who are voting now, yes,

0:18:24.119 --> 0:18:28.600
<v Speaker 2>the election ends and for Tuesday is it's a question

0:18:28.720 --> 0:18:33.760
<v Speaker 2>about what conditions do we want to continue to fight it.

0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:42.520
<v Speaker 2>We have lived under a Trump presidency. We have already

0:18:42.560 --> 0:18:47.399
<v Speaker 2>seen in our states what happens when we let authoritarianism's

0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:54.040
<v Speaker 2>the authoritarian minded people be in governance likea Georgia, like

0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:57.199
<v Speaker 2>of Florida, like my home state of Texas that are

0:18:57.200 --> 0:19:00.720
<v Speaker 2>facing these abortion bands where momas are dying. That is

0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:04.560
<v Speaker 2>literally what is happening right now. We know what that

0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.520
<v Speaker 2>world looks like, and I think all of us, I

0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:12.360
<v Speaker 2>think the majority, the overwhelming majority of us, does not

0:19:12.400 --> 0:19:15.600
<v Speaker 2>want that to be our story. And so if we

0:19:15.720 --> 0:19:19.960
<v Speaker 2>allow those people to maintain power, and even if the

0:19:20.000 --> 0:19:24.520
<v Speaker 2>system is not exactly ideal, it is truly about the

0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:28.639
<v Speaker 2>conditions that we want to fight under and who we

0:19:28.960 --> 0:19:33.840
<v Speaker 2>can put pressure on because they don't care. Authoritarianism that

0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:36.560
<v Speaker 2>it doesn't care. It's all about maintaining power. They don't

0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:39.639
<v Speaker 2>care about your voice. They don't care about the majority

0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:42.719
<v Speaker 2>of people. And that is what I think people really

0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:46.000
<v Speaker 2>have to think about. It's like, what are the conditions

0:19:46.000 --> 0:19:48.800
<v Speaker 2>that I want to go and fight for reproductive freedom

0:19:49.280 --> 0:19:52.760
<v Speaker 2>or hold accountability around what's happening in cause of right?

0:19:53.200 --> 0:19:55.600
<v Speaker 2>What are the conditions that I want to fight under

0:19:56.280 --> 0:19:56.920
<v Speaker 2>in the future.

0:19:58.119 --> 0:20:01.760
<v Speaker 1>I think that that is the main that's the main thing.

0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:02.200
<v Speaker 2>Right.

0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:04.639
<v Speaker 1>They say, you know, keep the main thing, the main thing,

0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:08.399
<v Speaker 1>and that is it. It is what are the conditions that

0:20:08.440 --> 0:20:10.440
<v Speaker 1>we want to fight under? Because I think that two

0:20:10.680 --> 0:20:13.919
<v Speaker 1>folks have to realize that this is our new normal,

0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:17.480
<v Speaker 1>having to fight for our voice and our vote. This

0:20:17.520 --> 0:20:20.639
<v Speaker 1>is something that we thought was one and done with

0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:23.639
<v Speaker 1>the Voting Rights Act, and it isn't. Because we realize

0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:28.480
<v Speaker 1>that the Republicans continue to be really slick in their

0:20:28.560 --> 0:20:33.080
<v Speaker 1>maneuvering to do their best to undo democracy and it

0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:37.160
<v Speaker 1>will continue whether or not Donald Trump is elected in November.

0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:41.320
<v Speaker 1>They'll just find another wolf to fill the sheep's clothing.

0:20:42.040 --> 0:20:45.560
<v Speaker 1>I can't thank you enough, Chris for the work that

0:20:45.640 --> 0:20:48.720
<v Speaker 1>you continue to do for the fight that you continue

0:20:48.760 --> 0:20:51.680
<v Speaker 1>to have. And just as we close out, please tell

0:20:51.720 --> 0:20:54.800
<v Speaker 1>people how they can connect, how they can stay informed,

0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:56.320
<v Speaker 1>because it's necessary.

0:20:56.560 --> 0:20:59.760
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely well. We have about measure Hub on our website

0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:02.879
<v Speaker 2>dot org. We try to keep it really simple for folks.

0:21:03.160 --> 0:21:06.720
<v Speaker 2>You can follow us on social media at Ballot Strategy

0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:09.440
<v Speaker 2>and that's where we're going to be sharing voter guides

0:21:09.720 --> 0:21:12.199
<v Speaker 2>the information from our partners in the states that are

0:21:12.240 --> 0:21:14.480
<v Speaker 2>working on these different issues. So I encourage you to

0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:17.479
<v Speaker 2>go to our website. The bout measure Hub is a

0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:21.199
<v Speaker 2>treasure trow of information for you. And then on social

0:21:21.240 --> 0:21:24.520
<v Speaker 2>media we're sharing things like voter guides, like and in

0:21:24.680 --> 0:21:27.400
<v Speaker 2>Arizona where there is a voter guide to tell you

0:21:27.520 --> 0:21:30.160
<v Speaker 2>all the things to vote know on and other things

0:21:30.200 --> 0:21:33.720
<v Speaker 2>to vote yes for. So please follow us on all

0:21:34.560 --> 0:21:36.400
<v Speaker 2>the ways you like to get your information.

0:21:37.640 --> 0:21:40.639
<v Speaker 1>Chris, I can't thank you enough for making the time

0:21:41.280 --> 0:21:45.040
<v Speaker 1>for WOKF and you know, I hope we will speak

0:21:45.080 --> 0:21:48.080
<v Speaker 1>to you after the election and see where things stand.

0:21:48.520 --> 0:21:49.760
<v Speaker 1>Really really appreciate you.

0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:52.239
<v Speaker 2>Thanks for having me, Daniel, I love talking to you.

0:21:55.520 --> 0:21:58.720
<v Speaker 1>That is it for me today, dear friends on WOKF.

0:21:58.800 --> 0:22:02.240
<v Speaker 1>As always, power to the people, and to all the

0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:05.720
<v Speaker 1>people power get woke and stay woke as fuck.