WEBVTT - 082424 How Does Voter Suppression Look? (Part 1)

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<v Speaker 1>Broadcasting from the Hip Hop Weekly Studios. I'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>welcome you to another episode of Civic Cipher, where our

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<v Speaker 1>mission is to foster allyship empathy and understanding. I'm your host, Rams' job.

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<v Speaker 1>He is Rams this job, I am q Ward. You

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<v Speaker 1>are tuned in the Civic Cipher, Yes you are, and

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<v Speaker 1>we have some more stuff for you to stick around

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<v Speaker 1>for per usual. You know, there's a lot of things

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<v Speaker 1>going on in the world of politics, and recently we

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<v Speaker 1>came across social media posts from one of the great

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<v Speaker 1>thinkers and great social media activists of our time, Kasim Rashid,

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<v Speaker 1>and he gave us a I guess a crash course

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<v Speaker 1>in voter suppression. And because we are going into again

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<v Speaker 1>a voting season, it's high time that we did a

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<v Speaker 1>review using his frame of reference. You know, he is

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<v Speaker 1>a lawyer. He hasn't been a guest on this show,

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<v Speaker 1>and for those that follow him on social media, you

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<v Speaker 1>know he's a great a liberal mind of the day.

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<v Speaker 1>And we're also going to spend the second part of

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<v Speaker 1>the show discussing a police shooting, a police killing of

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<v Speaker 1>a woman who was suffering through a mental health crisis.

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<v Speaker 1>A lot of times on this show, you know, people

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<v Speaker 1>will push back and say all these awful things about

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<v Speaker 1>you know, black people not you know, listening to the police,

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<v Speaker 1>and black people being at odds with the police and

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<v Speaker 1>so forth. And we've been, of course trying to make

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<v Speaker 1>a case that policing as it is done is wrong

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<v Speaker 1>and it doesn't necessarily serve the good of you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the people that call the police. Now, granted, there are

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<v Speaker 1>obviously some instances where that does work. But today we're

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<v Speaker 1>going to cite an example of an Asian woman who

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<v Speaker 1>was having a mental health crisis. She lost her life

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<v Speaker 1>at the hands of police, and you will be able

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<v Speaker 1>to see the missteps and the broken process that police

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<v Speaker 1>have to go through. It often costs people that lives.

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<v Speaker 1>But before we get there, let's start off on a

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<v Speaker 1>high with some Ebony excellence.

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<v Speaker 2>Shall we?

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<v Speaker 1>I think we shall.

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<v Speaker 2>This week's Ebeny Excellence sponsored by Actively Black. There is

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<v Speaker 2>greatness in our DNA. Visit actively black dot com. This

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<v Speaker 2>is from Time and Time for Kids reveals the twenty

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<v Speaker 2>twenty four Kid of the Year, recognizing one exceptional young

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<v Speaker 2>person and five honorees giving hope for the future. This

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<v Speaker 2>year's recipient is fifteen year old scientist Heman Biquel from

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<v Speaker 2>Fairfax and forgive me if I didn't pronounce your name correctly,

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<v Speaker 2>King from Fairfax, Virginia. He is recognized for developing an affordable,

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<v Speaker 2>compound based bar of soap that could, in the future

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<v Speaker 2>to treat skin cancers, including melanoma. Becho tells Time, quote,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm really passionate about skin cancer research, whether it's my

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<v Speaker 2>own research or what's happening in the field. It's absolutely

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<v Speaker 2>incredible to think that one day my bar of soap

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<v Speaker 2>will be able to make a direct impact on someone

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<v Speaker 2>else's life. That's the reason I started this all in

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<v Speaker 2>the first place. And quote. To select the twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 2>four Kid of the Year, Time solicited nominations from young

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<v Speaker 2>leaders who are making admirable contributions in a range of

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<v Speaker 2>fields including social justice, science and business. Editors and writers

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<v Speaker 2>of the selection process, a team of Time for Kids

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<v Speaker 2>reporters way in on the finalist. The twenty twenty four

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<v Speaker 2>Kids of the Year package appears in the August twenty

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<v Speaker 2>sixth issue of Time, available on newsstands on Friday, August sixteen.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so I thought that was fantastic that actually showed

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<v Speaker 1>up in our group chat and times honoring him for

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<v Speaker 1>his contributions. And we need to fall in line and

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<v Speaker 1>join the course.

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<v Speaker 2>Science is after name at fifteen is pretty cool there, it.

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<v Speaker 1>Is man, all right. So we've been having some conversations.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a lot of people that feel like doesn't matter

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<v Speaker 1>what they do. Their vote doesn't count for some people

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<v Speaker 1>that live in deeply read or deeply blue states, and

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<v Speaker 1>they feel the opposite of that. That feeling is based

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<v Speaker 1>somewhat in reality. You know, they should still vote because

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<v Speaker 1>there is a popular vote, and without participating, nothing changes.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if you're just kind of a drop in the sea,

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<v Speaker 1>you still you still matter, right. But I understand some

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<v Speaker 1>people's reluctance to get out and vote because they feel

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<v Speaker 1>like whatever outcomes based on where they live will be

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<v Speaker 1>shaped whether or not they participate. They should still vote

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<v Speaker 1>in local elections, you know, so forth and so on.

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<v Speaker 1>But I would argue that if your vote really didn't matter,

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<v Speaker 1>if it really didn't count, especially for people in swing states,

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<v Speaker 1>especially for black people, that you know black men have

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<v Speaker 1>been saying this. I've heard this quite a bit. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>your vote doesn't really count. I don't know how this

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<v Speaker 1>narrative persists, but it's still around or people that still

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<v Speaker 1>feel this way. If your vote didn't count, then people

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't be working so hard to suppress it to keep

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<v Speaker 1>you from voting in the first place. Your vote does count.

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<v Speaker 1>It doesn't matter who you are, even if, again you

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<v Speaker 1>just are one of the numbers in the popular vote category.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a historical record of what the country actually wanted,

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<v Speaker 1>and people can use that record to make a case

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<v Speaker 1>for the following administration. Right, Donald Trump never won the

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<v Speaker 1>popular vote, and that narrative has helped people that are

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<v Speaker 1>more progressive minded show that the American people truly, sincerely

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<v Speaker 1>want something other than what Donald Trump has to offer.

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<v Speaker 1>And there is a scientific, numeric based testament to that

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<v Speaker 1>because of all the people that voted, even in the

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<v Speaker 1>hard read hard blue states, because that popular vote indeed

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<v Speaker 1>shows what the country wants. We're going to talk about

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<v Speaker 1>voter suppression initiatives today so that you're aware of how

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<v Speaker 1>they look and so you're aware of that they exist.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, for a long time in this country for

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<v Speaker 1>the folks that don't know black people were not able

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<v Speaker 1>to vote. I remember doctor Westernberg, a contributor to the show,

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<v Speaker 1>told us about a time that she was not able

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<v Speaker 1>to vote. Q of course, famously has shared a story

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<v Speaker 1>about his mother not being able to vote until she

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<v Speaker 1>was when.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't remember the age she was, when she was

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<v Speaker 2>in college and law was passed, but when she became

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<v Speaker 2>of age to vote, it still wasn't legally for women

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<v Speaker 2>to vote yet.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, exactly, black women to vote because black women were

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<v Speaker 1>the last group of people to be able to vote

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<v Speaker 1>in this country. These voter suppression initiatives have been things

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<v Speaker 1>that Black people have fought against since we were granted

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<v Speaker 1>access to the polls. Now, some of them are not

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<v Speaker 1>called the same things that they were. You know, grandfather

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<v Speaker 1>was it the grandfather clauses for taxes or for polls,

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<v Speaker 1>rather saying that you could not vote an election if

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<v Speaker 1>your grandfather didn't vote, meaning that all the newly freed

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<v Speaker 1>slaves their grandfathers were en slaves, so.

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<v Speaker 2>They couldn't you can never vote, as what they're what

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<v Speaker 2>they were trying to right.

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<v Speaker 1>And then you know, obviously with you not voting, your

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<v Speaker 1>grandkids would not be able to vote. Of course, ID laws,

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<v Speaker 1>voter tests, you know, things like this, to our poll tests,

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<v Speaker 1>poll taxes, all these things have been ill you know,

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<v Speaker 1>made illegal here and there. But what happens is, and

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<v Speaker 1>this is almost exclusively a conservative push, they just reinvent

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<v Speaker 1>it in a new way to where it's barely legal. Again.

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<v Speaker 2>You and I spoke about this last week, how things

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<v Speaker 2>like this and the lack of a call to come

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<v Speaker 2>out to vote tend to only happen in conservative states,

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<v Speaker 2>where it should mean something that they're not even asking

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<v Speaker 2>people to vote. It's like they know the more people

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<v Speaker 2>that vote, the less likely they are to remain in power.

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<v Speaker 2>So these examples of voter suppression and the lack of

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<v Speaker 2>there really being anyone insisting you come out to vote

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<v Speaker 2>in the first place is a specifically conservative issue, right.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm glad you brought that up, because that's at

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<v Speaker 1>that point is well made. The more people that vote

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<v Speaker 1>in elections in this country, the more liberal the turnout

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<v Speaker 1>tends to be. The less people that vote, the more

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<v Speaker 1>conservative the turnout to the outcomes tend to be.

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<v Speaker 2>Or it's something last week and states were our last

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<v Speaker 2>president won in that election that he won there were

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<v Speaker 2>states when less than sixty percent of people registered to

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<v Speaker 2>vote actually cast a vote.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Yeah, And so a lack of voter engagement, a

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<v Speaker 1>lack of voter enthusiasm, I shouldn't say enthusiasm, but a

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<v Speaker 1>lack of voter showing up at the most, lack of

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<v Speaker 1>voter turnout, that's the word I'm looking for, thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>A lack of voter or a decrease in voter turnout

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<v Speaker 1>favors conservative outcomes. And what that is a testament to

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<v Speaker 1>is the fact that conservative people believe that their vote

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<v Speaker 1>will shape outcomes, so cast it. Yeah, and liberal minded

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<v Speaker 1>people they are perhaps a little bit more disconnected from

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<v Speaker 1>the outcomes. And oftentimes liberal minded people will show up

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<v Speaker 1>at the polls because they know that they that the

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<v Speaker 1>conservative people are showing up.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you think they're disconnected from the outcomes or is

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<v Speaker 2>it more of what you said before, like voter apathy,

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<v Speaker 2>My vote doesn't count, maybe I don't go. Yeah, So

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<v Speaker 2>maybe it's that I think the outcomes may be why

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<v Speaker 2>they think their vote doesn't count, Like, hey, I've been

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<v Speaker 2>voting all these years and the outcomes are still not

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<v Speaker 2>in my favor.

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<v Speaker 1>That's that's certainly plausible. And would I would go as

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<v Speaker 1>far as to say that that's that's likely in certain

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<v Speaker 1>certainly a lot of cases, because you know the conversations

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<v Speaker 1>that we're privy to, we hear things like that. But

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<v Speaker 1>the fact is is that there are people who either

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<v Speaker 1>I guess are how would I say this? There are

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<v Speaker 1>people who are liberal minded who feel like everything is

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<v Speaker 1>going to be okay, and they're not aware of the

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<v Speaker 1>conservative push and the conservative strategizing and the conservative organizing

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<v Speaker 1>that takes place. So whether or not they vote, their

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<v Speaker 1>life stays the same and they don't notice the subtle

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<v Speaker 1>changes over the years, and it's going to be fine.

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<v Speaker 1>But if they were to cast a vote, it would

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<v Speaker 1>be for liberal policies and liberal outcomes, right or as

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<v Speaker 1>you mentioned, there are people who feel like, no matter what,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm forgotten, I'm left out, so let me not vote.

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<v Speaker 1>Even though I feel this way. Conservative people don't have

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<v Speaker 1>to ruffle, they don't have to go through any of

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<v Speaker 1>this stuff. There's no back and forth. They're going to

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<v Speaker 1>vote no matter what. And that's why when voter turnout

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<v Speaker 1>is low, conservatives tend to shape the outcomes. When voter

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<v Speaker 1>turnout is high, more liberal minded and more progressive people

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<v Speaker 1>tend to shape the outcomes. So what historically has taken

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<v Speaker 1>place is these initiatives to try to suppress the overall

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<v Speaker 1>vote and in particular votes that would likely be cast

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<v Speaker 1>for liberal progressive candidates. So these are efforts historically, more

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<v Speaker 1>often than not overwhelmingly so by conservative Republicans to disenfranchise

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<v Speaker 1>the vote of people who would otherwise elect again liberal

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<v Speaker 1>or conservative politicians. One of them is forcing black people

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<v Speaker 1>to wait twice as long as white people to vote.

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<v Speaker 1>And this could be intentionally like at a polling place,

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<v Speaker 1>or more likely because that you can get caught up

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<v Speaker 1>in that sort of thing, but more likely, what it

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<v Speaker 1>is is they will place pole locations in white neighborhoods,

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<v Speaker 1>and they'll put like one or two in black neighborhoods,

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<v Speaker 1>so the lines are longer there to discourage people from voting.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, less places to vote for higher concentrations of black people,

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<v Speaker 2>or counties that have historical, historically higher percentage of minority

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<v Speaker 2>people that live there, they will give you less places

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<v Speaker 2>to vote, which will lead to you being in line

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<v Speaker 2>much longer exactly.

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<v Speaker 1>So again, these are voter suppression initiatives. They take place,

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<v Speaker 1>and technically speaking, they are legal, but we need to

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<v Speaker 1>be aware of them so that we right now, conservative people,

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<v Speaker 1>they're very well organized, credit where it's due and where

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<v Speaker 1>they are in positions of power, they can stack the

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<v Speaker 1>deck so that the all the American citizens who deserve

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<v Speaker 1>to get out there and vote don't have the same

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<v Speaker 1>equal access. And these are again known as voter suppression initiatives.

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<v Speaker 1>It's very sneaky and very tricky, and of course they'll

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<v Speaker 1>say no, there's more people that turn out here and

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<v Speaker 1>then over there, But historically it has been so because

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<v Speaker 1>of these very things, right, So they'll always have a

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<v Speaker 1>narrative to support it, but the truth of the matter

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<v Speaker 1>is what it is. Next up requiring a new ID

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<v Speaker 1>even after an idea was confirmed at voter registration, So

0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:50.559
<v Speaker 1>once you've registered to vote, now you need another idea.

0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:52.080
<v Speaker 1>And this is just a way to just kind of

0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:55.240
<v Speaker 1>thin the herd a little bit. Another one is banning

0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:58.839
<v Speaker 1>IDs disproportionately used by black voters. So this can be

0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.000
<v Speaker 1>so let's say some states you need a driver's license

0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.640
<v Speaker 1>and other places you can just have a regular idea

0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:09.320
<v Speaker 1>because black people don't have as many cars or whatever.

0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:12.640
<v Speaker 1>So even though they're both state issued ideas, only the

0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.240
<v Speaker 1>driver's license will grant you access to the polls. Again,

0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:19.280
<v Speaker 1>that disenfranchises poor people, which often is overrepresent Black people

0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:22.280
<v Speaker 1>are overrepresented in poor people numbers and so forth. So

0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:26.040
<v Speaker 1>this is another one, as I mentioned before, closing polling

0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:29.640
<v Speaker 1>locations in black neighborhoods. So this will be like black neighborhoods,

0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:34.360
<v Speaker 1>the polls have different hours of operation, and again it's

0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:36.240
<v Speaker 1>just a little bit more difficult. That's the thing that

0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:40.480
<v Speaker 1>technically is legal, and you need a lot of examples

0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:43.240
<v Speaker 1>of these, and like these huge organizations like the NAACP

0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.720
<v Speaker 1>or the Equal Justice Initiative or the Urban League or

0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:51.280
<v Speaker 1>whatever to put together a case to go in ensue

0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:53.480
<v Speaker 1>a county or a state or a city or whatever

0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:57.880
<v Speaker 1>that is disenfranchising these voters. But if you on the

0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:00.320
<v Speaker 1>ground are there, you have to be prepared and know

0:15:00.440 --> 0:15:03.800
<v Speaker 1>about this and also be prepared to support people in

0:15:03.840 --> 0:15:08.080
<v Speaker 1>your communities around the country that this show is on

0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:11.040
<v Speaker 1>in obviously big cities around the country, but it's also

0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:14.600
<v Speaker 1>in smaller cities where these things can fly under the

0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:17.120
<v Speaker 1>radar more easily. And our point today is to try

0:15:17.160 --> 0:15:19.440
<v Speaker 1>to let everyone know what to look out for, what

0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.360
<v Speaker 1>to be prepared for. So that your voids your votes

0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:27.560
<v Speaker 1>can count. We've discussed on the show racial jerrymandering that

0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:32.680
<v Speaker 1>disproportionately represents white voters over non white voters. Jerrymandering is

0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:35.920
<v Speaker 1>a thing that has happened on both sides of the

0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:40.760
<v Speaker 1>political aisle, but it is overwhelmingly so a tactic used

0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:46.080
<v Speaker 1>by Republicans on the right. Democrats are not blameless. It

0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:49.240
<v Speaker 1>is a political thing that people do. But when Republicans

0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:51.840
<v Speaker 1>do it, black people are disenfranchised, and that is called

0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:59.440
<v Speaker 1>voter suppression. Next up, we're talking about, oh, police targeting

0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:03.840
<v Speaker 1>and charging black people at higher rates, which further disenfranchises them.

0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:07.800
<v Speaker 2>That's another example of this whole system doesn't serve me anyway.

0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:09.840
<v Speaker 2>So I'm not even going to participate here you go.

0:16:10.200 --> 0:16:16.280
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Now, if the police charge you and disenfranchise you,

0:16:16.360 --> 0:16:18.160
<v Speaker 1>let's say you're arrested and you can't make it to

0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:21.440
<v Speaker 1>the polls or you're whatever. That's one thing and that

0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:25.040
<v Speaker 1>I don't imagine that is something that is well established

0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:28.000
<v Speaker 1>in terms of strategy. It could be in smaller cities

0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:30.760
<v Speaker 1>and towns. You know, there's a party, you know, for

0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:34.120
<v Speaker 1>I don't know, a Barack Obama party or a Kamala

0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:37.080
<v Speaker 1>Harris Party, right, and the police come and arrest everybody

0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:39.800
<v Speaker 1>before the polls open, so now they can't vote. Right.

0:16:39.920 --> 0:16:42.400
<v Speaker 1>These are things that I could definitely see happening in

0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:45.400
<v Speaker 1>those little, small, sundown towns or whatever around the country.

0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:47.680
<v Speaker 1>But I think more importantly, and we might actually double

0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:52.000
<v Speaker 1>back on this, when people are arrested, and when you

0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:54.640
<v Speaker 1>look at the entirety of the car sool system and

0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:59.960
<v Speaker 1>people end up in prison with felonies and they can't vote,

0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:04.360
<v Speaker 1>you have not insignificant amount of people in a very

0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:09.119
<v Speaker 1>specific population segment that are permanently disenfranchised from participating in

0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:14.280
<v Speaker 1>the elections. Next up, longer prison sentences for Black Americans,

0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:18.359
<v Speaker 1>blocking them from participating in more elections, prison gerrymandering, or

0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:22.800
<v Speaker 1>black incarcerated people are denied voting but counted for redistricting,

0:17:23.359 --> 0:17:28.800
<v Speaker 1>meaning that it's basically you are It's like the three

0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:31.320
<v Speaker 1>fists compromise all over again. You're three fists of a

0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:36.879
<v Speaker 1>person because you're in prison. Next up, requiring formally incarcerated

0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:40.800
<v Speaker 1>people to pay court fees before voting, meaning that if

0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:43.159
<v Speaker 1>you have like leans or judgments that you need to

0:17:43.160 --> 0:17:47.560
<v Speaker 1>pay off before you're able to vote. You can look

0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.320
<v Speaker 1>at the numbers and say, you know what, seventy percent

0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:54.399
<v Speaker 1>of black people would fall under this thirty percent of

0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:58.560
<v Speaker 1>white people. That gets us a positive of you know,

0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:03.160
<v Speaker 1>plus forty or minus forty percent, I guess technically, of

0:18:03.480 --> 0:18:06.879
<v Speaker 1>black people participating in this election, let's do it. And

0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:08.679
<v Speaker 1>then of course they can say no, we did it

0:18:08.720 --> 0:18:13.040
<v Speaker 1>to everyone. But the data shows that it particularly disenfranchises

0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:18.640
<v Speaker 1>black voters more than white requiring people to take off

0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:20.800
<v Speaker 1>work and lose money just to vote.

0:18:20.880 --> 0:18:23.440
<v Speaker 2>And this one is the most obvious right. People who

0:18:23.520 --> 0:18:27.359
<v Speaker 2>have less money and less resources, have less autonomy and

0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:31.440
<v Speaker 2>can less afford to lose their jobs, so they won't

0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:34.080
<v Speaker 2>even take that risk. And you know, pose that close

0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:36.520
<v Speaker 2>at an hour that's far too early for you to

0:18:36.520 --> 0:18:38.879
<v Speaker 2>get off work and then go vote. And if you

0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:43.920
<v Speaker 2>don't have a workplace that honors your civic duty, your

0:18:44.040 --> 0:18:46.360
<v Speaker 2>right to go and vote, they don't. I don't know

0:18:46.480 --> 0:18:48.880
<v Speaker 2>this for sure, but I'm guessing all places of business

0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:52.119
<v Speaker 2>don't have to give you it's the day off or

0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:55.399
<v Speaker 2>the time to go do so. So that's definitely something

0:18:55.400 --> 0:18:58.040
<v Speaker 2>that would stand in the way of you know, those

0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.359
<v Speaker 2>who are most affected by growing up and communit that

0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:01.119
<v Speaker 2>are underserved.

0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:06.560
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely another one banning Sunday souls to the polls early voting,

0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:11.040
<v Speaker 1>which targets black voters. This one is kind of near

0:19:11.040 --> 0:19:13.359
<v Speaker 1>and dear to our hearts here because we've covered this before.

0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:19.439
<v Speaker 1>When black people would organize to go and vote on Sundays.

0:19:19.440 --> 0:19:23.000
<v Speaker 1>You know, black people, especially black people that go to church,

0:19:24.119 --> 0:19:26.920
<v Speaker 1>they would organize in the church. Okay, next Sunday, after church,

0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.000
<v Speaker 1>we're going to go to the polls. Well, what did

0:19:29.000 --> 0:19:33.480
<v Speaker 1>Georgia do in response to that? Close the polls on Sundays? Right,

0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:35.600
<v Speaker 1>So these are examples and it was specific. It was

0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:38.200
<v Speaker 1>just for that, like right when it was announce then, yeah,

0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:43.040
<v Speaker 1>so it's just to disenfranchise black folks running out quote

0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:47.360
<v Speaker 1>unquote voter registration or ballot forms. This is something that

0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:52.080
<v Speaker 1>is you know, there's lots of different ways to disenfranchise

0:19:52.119 --> 0:19:56.679
<v Speaker 1>black the black vote and to create this voter suppression,

0:19:57.400 --> 0:20:01.720
<v Speaker 1>purging voters are requiring constant re registration. This is something

0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:05.680
<v Speaker 1>you know, some people that vote frequently vote every two years,

0:20:07.080 --> 0:20:10.240
<v Speaker 1>and you have a lot of days, seven hundred plus

0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:13.400
<v Speaker 1>days in between voting, and they're now not a life

0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:16.720
<v Speaker 1>that takes place. They now have states where other citizens

0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:21.640
<v Speaker 1>can unregister other citizens from voting exactly, which should sound

0:20:21.840 --> 0:20:26.400
<v Speaker 1>crazy saying, but here we are refusing to accommodate non

0:20:26.440 --> 0:20:29.520
<v Speaker 1>English speaking voters. So this is something that you know,

0:20:29.680 --> 0:20:31.920
<v Speaker 1>there are people who live in this country and don't

0:20:31.920 --> 0:20:34.280
<v Speaker 1>speak the language, and it has always been in that case,

0:20:34.600 --> 0:20:40.440
<v Speaker 1>from Germans, from Irish, from French, Spanish yep, citizens yep.

0:20:40.800 --> 0:20:43.000
<v Speaker 1>And they've come here and not spoken the language, but

0:20:43.040 --> 0:20:46.119
<v Speaker 1>they are still subject to the forces political forces of

0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:49.320
<v Speaker 1>this country. And if they are citizens, they do deserve

0:20:49.400 --> 0:20:51.360
<v Speaker 1>the right to vote. And now that we're talking about

0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:56.560
<v Speaker 1>people who speak Spanish, these people can be easily disenfranchised

0:20:56.560 --> 0:21:02.760
<v Speaker 1>because they don't because non English speakers not accommodated, and historically, UH,

0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:06.959
<v Speaker 1>they tend to be associated with more liberal votings. Denying

0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:09.840
<v Speaker 1>curbside voting for people with disabilities. This is another thing.

0:21:10.040 --> 0:21:14.440
<v Speaker 1>People with disabilities tend to overwhelmingly UH cast their vote

0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:19.919
<v Speaker 1>in a toward toward more liberal candidates. Denying absentee or

0:21:19.960 --> 0:21:24.840
<v Speaker 1>mail in ballot voting, especially for the elderly, military, UH

0:21:25.040 --> 0:21:30.920
<v Speaker 1>and indigen and requiring a home address, disenfranchising around six

0:21:31.000 --> 0:21:34.440
<v Speaker 1>hundred thousand homeless Americans, who again are also subject to

0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:38.080
<v Speaker 1>the forces political forces in this country. Partisan poll workers

0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:41.720
<v Speaker 1>is another thing. How do you avoid that? It's just

0:21:41.840 --> 0:21:42.639
<v Speaker 1>something to be aware of.

0:21:42.640 --> 0:21:44.960
<v Speaker 2>I don't know that partisan partisan poll workers is a

0:21:44.960 --> 0:21:49.119
<v Speaker 2>tricky one because yeah, if we're all about one side

0:21:49.119 --> 0:21:51.480
<v Speaker 2>in this part of town, we ain't too welcome into.

0:21:51.240 --> 0:21:54.760
<v Speaker 1>Those Yeah, and then it may might feel them yeah.

0:21:54.840 --> 0:21:55.639
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

0:21:55.680 --> 0:21:58.040
<v Speaker 1>And then the last few here inadequate or closed down

0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:00.520
<v Speaker 1>polling locations on Native American lands. That's a big one

0:22:00.560 --> 0:22:01.200
<v Speaker 1>in places like.

0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:04.600
<v Speaker 2>Hundreds of miles between polling locations and Native American exact.

0:22:04.440 --> 0:22:09.679
<v Speaker 1>Territory, changing polling locations without proper advanced notice, limiting public

0:22:09.720 --> 0:22:15.080
<v Speaker 1>transportation on election day, and arbitrary or subjective signature verification requirements.

0:22:15.119 --> 0:22:17.879
<v Speaker 1>And then Cosum goes on to say, I can go on.

0:22:17.960 --> 0:22:20.040
<v Speaker 1>But the point is none of the above is hypothetical.

0:22:20.480 --> 0:22:22.760
<v Speaker 1>All of it is real and happening as we speak.

0:22:22.880 --> 0:22:25.600
<v Speaker 1>Despite it, BIPOC voters are organizing and winning elections. But

0:22:25.640 --> 0:22:28.359
<v Speaker 1>imagine what would happen if these barriers to free and

0:22:28.359 --> 0:22:31.720
<v Speaker 1>fair voting were removed. America would change forever. And this

0:22:31.800 --> 0:22:35.400
<v Speaker 1>has been something that has been stated before that if

0:22:35.480 --> 0:22:39.919
<v Speaker 1>everyone participated in every election, if it was ever a

0:22:40.040 --> 0:22:43.080
<v Speaker 1>national holiday, or if you know, Puerto Rico and you

0:22:43.840 --> 0:22:47.600
<v Speaker 1>DC were granted statehood or whatever. More people participating in

0:22:47.640 --> 0:22:50.199
<v Speaker 1>this process, this country would be shaped in such a

0:22:50.240 --> 0:22:52.920
<v Speaker 1>way to where all of us treat each other better,

0:22:53.040 --> 0:22:55.960
<v Speaker 1>as opposed to some of us get more money and

0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:59.359
<v Speaker 1>blame it on work ethic, as opposed to fortunate circumstances