1 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: Good morning, peeps, and welcome to WIKA F Daily with 2 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: Meet your Girl Danielle Moody, recording from the Home Bunker. Folks, 3 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: you know, for the past couple of days, I have 4 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: been just outdone by the media, and you know, I 5 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: have been lamenting and making videos and in Twitter, and 6 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:37,279 Speaker 1: I know that you folks follow me there, and I 7 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: want folks to understand that I am not just railing 8 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: against media for shit's sake. It's similarly why I have 9 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: made a career in politics and policy and now in media, 10 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: because I wanted to be able to change the hearts 11 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: and minds of as many people as possible. Right to 12 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: advance equality, and how do you do that right? You 13 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: can do it through policy, if in fact you have 14 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: a functioning government and Congress. You can do it through 15 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: media by telling stories that really bridge the gap between 16 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: people's understanding of others lives, right to move outside of 17 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:24,400 Speaker 1: fear of the unknown, and understand that there are people 18 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: who benefit right from spewing lies, from making sure that 19 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: we all want to stay in our own cocoons and bubbles, 20 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: never to really connect with one another. People profit off 21 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: of that. And I have seen my work as yes, 22 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,960 Speaker 1: the quest to get as many people as woke as 23 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: fucking possible, right, because what doesn't mean to be woke, 24 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: It means to be conscious, It means to be aware. 25 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: It means to be connected and to understand that there 26 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: are systems that have been put in place to benefit 27 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: a few at the events of the many. And as 28 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: I am watching this Trump drama play out, which you know, 29 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: we were notified to the fact that we are not 30 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: going to see another appearance until December, which I think 31 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,239 Speaker 1: is you know, crazy. But again, I don't have a 32 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: law degree. I just watch a law and order all 33 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: the time. But I would think that it is at 34 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: the behest of the judge and the ag to expedite 35 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,520 Speaker 1: this case because I think that the longer that Donald 36 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 1: Trump is able to grift out in the open, the 37 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: longer that pictures of the judge's daughter and Alvin Bragg's 38 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: wife and family members are able to be used as 39 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: you know, some type of taunts to their fringe violent 40 00:02:55,360 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: base that we're just counting down to tragedy, And frankly, 41 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: I'd like to get this wrapped up as soon as 42 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: possible because I think that it's in the best interests 43 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: of our country and our sanity. That being said, you know, 44 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 1: just as we know, does not move like that, which 45 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 1: is why these criminal shows are always so popular, because 46 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: they get to be wrapped up at the end of 47 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: an hour, and that's not really how things go. But 48 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: it's the disappointment for me. It's the fact that there 49 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: are people who sit at these desks with microphones who 50 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: have built careers out of supposedly providing information and analysis 51 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: to people that I have seen become a shell of themselves. 52 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: And who am I talking about Van Jones? Van Jones 53 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: is a CNN commentator, but I knew Van Jones well 54 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: over a decade ago when he was the head of 55 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: an environmental justice education in California called Greenfall. Van Jones 56 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: was one of the first people that I reached out 57 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: to when I was working on Capitol Hill and I 58 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: had written a piece of legislation around connecting kids with nature, 59 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,279 Speaker 1: particularly black and brown kids, trying to express that the 60 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: environment is not a place that you go, it is 61 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: where you are. And Van Jones, out of the work 62 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,799 Speaker 1: that he had done on environmental justice and you spoken 63 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: out and he had created so many amazing and important 64 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: organizations that lifted up the voices and the needs of 65 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: the most marginalized communities. And over the course of several years, 66 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: you know, I had seen Van and you know, watched 67 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: his rise and you coming into the Obama administration and 68 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: then promptly leaving the Obama administration because of the way 69 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: that the right wing lambasted him. And now when I 70 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: see this man, this black man, sitting on CNN and 71 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: saying things about Donald Trump when he was in office, 72 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: because he put together a coherent sentence at the State 73 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: of the Union, he has said things like, oh, that's 74 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: today's the day that Donald Trump became president, as if 75 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: Donald Trump is you know, a baby that just learned 76 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: to walk, and you're like, oh, this is the day that, 77 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,720 Speaker 1: you know, the infant became the baby then became the toddler. 78 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: While we were watching the circus around Donald Trump's arrayment, 79 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: Van Jones found himself on CNN saying that he doesn't 80 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: revel in today in Donald Trump's arrayment, that this just 81 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 1: looks like a sad grandpa. And this is you know, 82 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: the criminal justice system is hard on everyone. Van Jones, Sir, 83 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: with all due respect, shut the entire fuck up the 84 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: way in which you have turned into a shell of 85 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: an advocate to a shell of an activist to a 86 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: talking head and stooge for the right wing is beyond me. 87 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: I have no idea what has happened. I really don't know, 88 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: but you are definitely not the man that I met 89 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 1: over a decade ago, whose work an environmental justice and 90 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: social justice was one that I wanted to model my 91 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: own career of advocacy around because I thought it was 92 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: so profound. So to watch you contort yourself into some 93 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: type of motherfucking step and fetch it for the right. 94 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 1: Donald Up is no one's sad grandpa. I'm sure he 95 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: doesn't even know the fucking names of his grandchildren. He 96 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: is more like a sad grand wizard right of the KKK. 97 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: He wasn't a sad grandpa when he was inciting violence 98 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: and yelling to his security detail to remove the magatrons 99 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: at the stop the Steel rally, even though he was 100 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: told that the people that came out to that rally 101 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 1: were heavily armed. He wasn't a sad grandpa then when 102 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: he was pointing in the direction of the Capitol Building 103 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: and telling people to go and take their country back, 104 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: and that Mike Pennce betrayed him, putting a target on 105 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: his back for those people to go ahead and build 106 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: a gallows on the steps of the Capitol building. He 107 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: wasn't a sad grandpa when he signed legislation that would 108 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: put children in cages and separate them from their parents. 109 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: He wasn't a sad grandpa when he decided to gut 110 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: the EPA. He wasn't a sad grandpa when he called 111 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: nations that people that look like me come from shitthhole countries. 112 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 1: He wasn't a sad grandpa when he decided to uphold 113 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: white supremacy by saying, after the Charlottesville riots incidents white 114 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: supremacy march of they will not replace us, that there 115 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: are good people on both sides. He wasn't a sad 116 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: grandpa when he stood on national television and told the 117 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: Proud Boys and the oath Keepers, those two very same 118 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: groups who would orchestrate the insurrection, to stand back and 119 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: stand by, sir. What the fuck are you looking at? 120 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: This is what I mean when I say how fucking 121 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: irresponsible mainstream media has become. When you see the revolving 122 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:53,960 Speaker 1: door of people who bolstered their career through attaching themselves 123 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: like a barnacle to the Titanic of Donald Trump, only 124 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: to them be rewarded for their lives and their criminal 125 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 1: behavior by getting plumb jobs on the view on CNN, 126 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: on MSNBC, Right, Van Jones is no one's Oh I'm 127 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: trying to understand. He is a white supremist apologist, and 128 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: it is disgusting, and I'm calling him out specifically because 129 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: that type of language and rhetoric and faux ass empathy 130 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: is how the fuck we get to the place that 131 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 1: we are in right now, where Oh, you just want 132 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:46,079 Speaker 1: to recognize how aggrieved white racists are. They're losing their country. 133 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: Oh you mean they're actually being asked to share this 134 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 1: abundant land that was toiled for free by enslaved captive people, 135 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: land that was dolan from indigenous Native Americans, Like, give 136 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 1: me a fucking break. Van Jones is emblematic of everything 137 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:16,680 Speaker 1: that is wrong with the mainstream media and just another 138 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: reminder that if you do not hold your center, if 139 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 1: you do not remain grounded in the current tempest of 140 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:33,200 Speaker 1: fascism and authoritarianism that we find ourselves swirling in, you 141 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,559 Speaker 1: will lose sight of who you are and what is 142 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: actually at stake. Just so that you can put more 143 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: money in your pocket, and that is just a disgraceful 144 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: place to be. Coming up next on woke F, dear friends, 145 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: an important conversation and one that doesn't involve truly centering 146 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:05,479 Speaker 1: around Donald Trump, is my conversation with Sam Alika Friedland, 147 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: who is from the Institute for Responsive Government. That talks 148 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: about Sam and I will get into a conversation about 149 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: voting infrastructure and how it has been attacked over so 150 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:23,079 Speaker 1: many years, how essentially voting in this country has been defunded. 151 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: So we will have that conversation with Sam. Coming up next, folks, 152 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:35,959 Speaker 1: I am very happy to welcome to okay EFFI Daily 153 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: for the first time, Sam Alika Friedland, who is the 154 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 1: executive director of the Institute for Responsive Government and before 155 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: this position previously worked as a voting rights litigator at 156 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 1: the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division under both two 157 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: very different presidents friends, the Obama administration and the Trump administrations. 158 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: So Sam, welcome, Thank you, thank you for having to 159 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:06,479 Speaker 1: woka F. Thank you so much for joining US. Voting rights, 160 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 1: access to voting, voter suppression, jerrymandering. These are all topics 161 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,559 Speaker 1: that I cover on a fairly regular basis on WOKF 162 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:21,079 Speaker 1: And since the Supreme Court was able to systematically gut 163 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: the Voting Rights Act of nineteen sixty four and our 164 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: Congress's failure to be able to re enact those pieces 165 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,839 Speaker 1: under the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we have seen 166 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: an assault on voting rights that I think is pretty 167 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 1: unprecedented in our modern times, right, And so I just 168 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: wanted to give you an opportunity to tell us what 169 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:50,400 Speaker 1: you see from your vantage point about the landscape of 170 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: voting and one how you see this landscape, but to 171 00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 1: how it has shifted over the last seven years, where 172 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: we have lost a lot of integrity in our voting 173 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 1: system because of the Trump administration, the Big Lie and others. 174 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:15,679 Speaker 1: That's a great question. And I love actually your use 175 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: of the word integrity either because I think it's so 176 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: important to talk about the integrity of the system as 177 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,560 Speaker 1: a whole. And I hear a lot of folks using 178 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: election integrity to mean preventing voter fraud. And it is 179 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: important to make sure that only eligible voters are casting 180 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: a ballot, and our systems are very well set up 181 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: to do that, and it's important to talk about election 182 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 1: integrity in that frame, but it's also election integrity to 183 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 1: make sure that every eligible voter is registered and has 184 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,959 Speaker 1: that opportunity to cast the ballot. So together, I think 185 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 1: people think of voting access and voting security as like 186 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:50,440 Speaker 1: two sides of a scale, where you increase one and 187 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 1: it decreases the other. And I think what's become abundantly 188 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: clear over the last few years, that's actually not true. 189 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: Those are to mix my metaphos, those are two votes 190 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: that can be lifted at the same time, you know, 191 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:05,200 Speaker 1: on the same tide, And talking about sort of election 192 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: integrity as a whole is such a great way to 193 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: talk about it at this particular moment. So you asked 194 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: about the Supreme Court and seven years ago, and I 195 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: started at the Department of Justice basically right after the 196 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: Supreme Court got to the Voting Rights Act. So I'm 197 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: I'm one of few civil rights time to starting. Welcome. Welcome. 198 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 1: So the Chief Justice welcomed me to the Civil Rights 199 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: Division by taking away at the main statue we had 200 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: to enforce. That was very nice of him. But it 201 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: was really interesting because it was a time when lawyers 202 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 1: needed to figure out how to pivot from some sort 203 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,520 Speaker 1: of long held patterns of how to enforce these civil 204 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: rights laws, and people think about, you know, I think 205 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 1: when people think about the Voting Rights Act and the 206 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: preclearance provisions that got struck down, you think about these big, 207 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 1: you know, big ticket, high visibility sort of voting rights 208 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: policy pieces like voter ID laws in in Texas for example, 209 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 1: that got struck down under the preclearance system and then 210 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: they were reinstituted, and redistricting plans for Congress and jerrymandering, 211 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: and these are all incredibly important. But another incredibly important 212 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: part of the voting rights ecosystem of our ability to 213 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,520 Speaker 1: cast the ballot is the bureaucracies at the local level 214 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 1: that really do run our elections. So people forget that 215 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:25,040 Speaker 1: elections are run in the US at the county and 216 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: municipal level in almost every state, and that means that 217 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: we have about eight thousand local election officials in the 218 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 1: country who are primarily in charge of deciding should we have, 219 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 1: you know, how many early votes sites should we have, 220 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 1: How should we hire poll workers, How should we communicate 221 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: to the public about how to vote and how voting 222 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: has changed in the pandemic. Should we process vote by 223 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: mail applications? In a timely manner and send people their ballots. 224 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 1: How many polling places should we have an election date? 225 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: All of these are decisions that get done at this 226 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 1: local level. And one of the most powerful things that 227 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: preclans did has surfaced all of these teeny little local 228 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: decisions that had such an impact on people's voting behavior 229 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: to the Department of Justice, who was able to sort 230 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: of either block or allow it to go into effect. 231 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: And what keeps me up at night about this Voting 232 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,000 Speaker 1: Rights Act is like, how do we get that information 233 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 1: from the local level to bubble up to the top. 234 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 1: But that locality, that localism, is also an opportunity. So 235 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: I like to try and be a little bit like Pollyanna, 236 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 1: not Pollyannish, but I like to be a little bit 237 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 1: more optimistic than others when we talk about voting rights, 238 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: because I think there are more good things happening right 239 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:42,480 Speaker 1: now and more opportunities than many of us think. So 240 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: those eight thousand officials, Republicans, Democrats, rural, urban, the vast, 241 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: vast vast majority of them are non partisan bureaucrats who 242 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: just want to do their job and provide people the 243 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,360 Speaker 1: voting opportunities. The law says they should have. There are 244 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 1: some exceptions. The exceptions are relatively rare. And when you 245 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: talked about Congress failing to act on the John Luis 246 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 1: Voting Rights Act, that was an important failure. And another 247 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: important failure of Congress last year was failure to advance 248 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: proposals that would have adequately funded those local election officials. 249 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,199 Speaker 1: So the President asked for ten billion dollars in his 250 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: budget over ten years, for much of which would go 251 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 1: directly to local election officials. Congress answered the call with 252 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:36,160 Speaker 1: only seventy five million dollars. Yeah. Wow, that was exactly 253 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,960 Speaker 1: my face and exactly my wow when I saw the 254 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: final number. It was a stunning failure to put the 255 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 1: sort of money where their mouth was on democracy and 256 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: actually create those opportunities of the local level for those 257 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,680 Speaker 1: nonpartisan bureaucrats to like give us all what we need. 258 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:56,160 Speaker 1: And so, you know, it's important to think about like 259 00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: the big picture laws, the big picture policies in tandem 260 00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:04,280 Speaker 1: with this incredibly localized tapestry of election administration that's happening 261 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:06,399 Speaker 1: across the country. And I like to sort of think 262 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: about both of those at the same time. You paint 263 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:13,360 Speaker 1: a picture, because obviously what most people understand about voting 264 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: is walking into whether it's a elementary school, gymnasium or whatever, 265 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:23,399 Speaker 1: community center and booth and you know, thanking the people 266 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: for sitting there and doing the job and walking out 267 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 1: right filling out their ballot and walking out. And I 268 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:34,880 Speaker 1: think that what we have seen since twenty twenty is 269 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:41,439 Speaker 1: that more Americans have become skeptical right of the voting 270 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 1: systems because of the lies that were spread by Donald Trump, 271 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: the Republican Party, which is you know, I can't help 272 00:18:50,119 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: but think now about that ten billion dollars versus seventy 273 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:58,160 Speaker 1: five this coming from people who claim that they were 274 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: so much wrong with their voting right and so much 275 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:04,280 Speaker 1: wrong with our system, then then wouldn't you want to 276 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: fund to make sure that the integrity of said system remains? 277 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:14,160 Speaker 1: So I digress, but you know, when I think about 278 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: what people learned from the election of twenty twenty, and 279 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:22,639 Speaker 1: it was a historic election, right in the midst of 280 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: a pandemic, there was a lot of pivoting and nimbleness 281 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: that needed to happen in order to keep people safe 282 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: but also for them to be able to exercise their 283 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: constitutional right to cast a ballot. And I want you 284 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:39,959 Speaker 1: to talk about one, the historical nature of twenty twenty, 285 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 1: what were some of the lessons that were learned, but 286 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:47,360 Speaker 1: then also the lessons that were denied, as we just 287 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:51,440 Speaker 1: had at the end of last year the midterm elections, 288 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 1: which were again historic turnout, the lessons that were learned 289 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty that were not applicable in twenty twenty two. 290 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: And what you were thinking with regard to how we're 291 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: going to run a successful, unencumbered election that isn't tampered with. Great, 292 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: great question, and I think, like when we think about 293 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,640 Speaker 1: things we can celebrate, I think it's worth starting by 294 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,560 Speaker 1: pausing on twenty twenty and exactly like you said, it 295 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: was a world changing pandemic. It was an office changing 296 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,879 Speaker 1: pandemic for local election officials across the country who weren't 297 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: able to do anything remotely the way they were able 298 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: to do before. And local election officials are great a process. 299 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: They are great at sort of like managing a process 300 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 1: over time and in the face of threats. But this 301 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,040 Speaker 1: is something new. This was This required a level of 302 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: nimbleness by those local officials that we haven't asked for 303 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: before and that we did not adequately resource them to do, 304 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:52,360 Speaker 1: and they pulled it off anyway, and that was an 305 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: incredible success and something we should all celebrate. In twenty twenty, 306 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: as high ranking you know, Republican officials called it, it 307 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:05,600 Speaker 1: was the most secure election in American history. You had 308 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: people who had the choice whether they could vote by 309 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,520 Speaker 1: mail from home if that's what felt safe to them. 310 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: They could also go into their polling place and be 311 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 1: greeted by that sort of friendly neighbor who has always 312 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 1: greeted them at the local community center of the local church. 313 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 1: Providing those options for voters was something new in twenty 314 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: twenty in a number of jurisdictions. There were some places 315 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: in the West who had done mostly vote by mail 316 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 1: before twenty twenty, and there were places other places that 317 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: had done almost exclusively in person voting. That mixing of 318 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:38,359 Speaker 1: the two modes, that providing the voters the choice was 319 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: something really powerful. I think that came out of the 320 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:44,880 Speaker 1: pandemic and something that you've seen stick around. The problem 321 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,200 Speaker 1: is that needs money, and that needs staff, and that 322 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:53,160 Speaker 1: needs new warehouse spaces that they never needed before, and 323 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: they need security. So this is the last lesson from 324 00:21:56,320 --> 00:21:59,160 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, or the last takeaway that's still with us 325 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: is that local election officials are getting threatened. And this 326 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 1: is remember local election officials of both parties. Of those 327 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: eight thousand counties and municipalities that run election, the vast 328 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:13,439 Speaker 1: majority are majority Republicans. So this is like, these are 329 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: mostly Republican officials who are getting threatened by their friends 330 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: and neighbors because they're listening to that disinformation. And that's 331 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: not only morally important to me, but it also actually 332 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 1: threatens the integrity of the election system, because if we 333 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: can't give these hardworking people the resources they need, and 334 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,119 Speaker 1: if we can't give them the security that they need 335 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:41,440 Speaker 1: at relatively low paid jobs, we are not going to 336 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:43,959 Speaker 1: have people to run our democracy. And that's more than 337 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: anything that keeps me up at night about the future. 338 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,400 Speaker 1: Is the after effects of twenty twenty on election official 339 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 1: recruitment and election official retention, not to mention, of course, 340 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,560 Speaker 1: the exact same problems in recruiting those poll workers who 341 00:22:57,600 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 1: work at your local community center for that one day year. 342 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: They really are, you know, sort of the definition of 343 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 1: thankless job. And I think our job, as folks who 344 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:10,399 Speaker 1: want to promote democracy is to thank them more often, 345 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: both with our words, and with our policies. When you 346 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:20,720 Speaker 1: talk about being really concerned about being able to recruit 347 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 1: people because of political threats of violence, right, do you 348 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:31,200 Speaker 1: think that this is something that is not then Sam 349 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:34,240 Speaker 1: getting the kind of attention that it should. Should we 350 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 1: be taught because you know, for the last couple of years, 351 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: I mean, we have seen an escalation in political violence, 352 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:45,160 Speaker 1: you know, from what happened to a former speaker Nancy 353 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 1: Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, for what has happened in threats 354 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 1: with members of Congress. We think about it at that level, 355 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:56,399 Speaker 1: but then we saw, right the attacks on Shay Moss 356 00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: and Missus Ruby Freeman from Georgia, who were made a 357 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:07,800 Speaker 1: target literally yes, by the president, former President Donald Trump, 358 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:11,560 Speaker 1: by Rudy Giuliani and others. And so when you talk 359 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: about we need to be able to have security and protections, 360 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: what is that in a best case scenario? What does 361 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 1: that actually look like? Because we're not giving these people 362 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:26,920 Speaker 1: Secret Service bodyguards right while they're doing their jobs. So 363 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: what does security and protection look like for these people? Yeah, 364 00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:34,639 Speaker 1: so to answer your first question, what it doesn't look like? 365 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: It's seventy five million dollars for the entire country. Yeah right, 366 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 1: well that is that Yep. To put that number in context, 367 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,199 Speaker 1: in California, which ran a recall ellection for the governor 368 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,200 Speaker 1: last year, Riley County, one county in California spent fifty 369 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,320 Speaker 1: three million dollars on the recall election. Excuse me, So 370 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: the seventy five million does not stretch across jurisdictions. And 371 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:56,439 Speaker 1: I bring that up again. You're gonna hear me probably 372 00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 1: mentioned that at least one more time on with you today. 373 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:01,400 Speaker 1: And the reason that I mentioned that is that, like, 374 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:05,680 Speaker 1: that's the security money. So we're not probably hiring secret service, 375 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:09,199 Speaker 1: but there are security services that costs money that election 376 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:13,920 Speaker 1: officials can hire to bring them through a unique threat environment. 377 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 1: And I think some of that, some of that spending 378 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:22,240 Speaker 1: on security is necessary not only to keep people safe, 379 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: which is the number one goal here, but also to 380 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:29,199 Speaker 1: really like increase the confidence of those officials and the 381 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: poll workers in the process. And I think if you're 382 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,679 Speaker 1: a potential poll worker and you saw what happened in 383 00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: Georgia with the president last year, that's going to make 384 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: you a little reticent to serve as a poll worker. Yeah, yeah, 385 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,440 Speaker 1: you know, it would make me a little reticent. To serve, 386 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:46,880 Speaker 1: and so I want to see election departments actually spend 387 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,359 Speaker 1: some money on security. And I know Fulham County, Georgia 388 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: has spent millions more in security in the last few 389 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: years than they have spent in previous years, in part, 390 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,120 Speaker 1: again to keep those folks safe, that's their number one goal, 391 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,919 Speaker 1: to keep safe, and in part because their election system 392 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:05,160 Speaker 1: will not run if they're not spending that money on security. Um. 393 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: But but they need that money. But of course, the 394 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:12,560 Speaker 1: second piece of this is the disinformation environment that we're 395 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:16,639 Speaker 1: that we're drowning in right now, and we're going to 396 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: keep seeing these threats if we keep allowing this disinformation 397 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 1: to spread unchecked. Now, good news that some of the 398 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: solutions that work for one of these pieces also work 399 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 1: for the other piece. What's the best way to fight disinformation? 400 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: It's with trusted information from a trusted government official. So 401 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,679 Speaker 1: I can go out there as a leader of a 402 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,920 Speaker 1: nonprofit and say whatever I want to voters and they're 403 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 1: not going to know who I am, and they're not 404 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: going to necessarily trust me, no matter how well designed 405 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,400 Speaker 1: my informative brochure is or my my AD or my 406 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:54,119 Speaker 1: UM you know, my digital program. What really works is 407 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:57,480 Speaker 1: giving election officials the ability to say, hey, you know, 408 00:26:57,520 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 1: you're hearing a lot about vote by mail, but let 409 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: me tell you how the system works. First, we match 410 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:05,159 Speaker 1: every vote by mail request to a voter registration record 411 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:07,680 Speaker 1: to make sure that the person requesting is who they 412 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 1: say they are. Then the ballots that go out have X, 413 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,720 Speaker 1: Y and Z security features, and when they come back in, 414 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,919 Speaker 1: this is again exactly how our security protocol works to 415 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,639 Speaker 1: make sure that each person can cast a ballot. But 416 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:22,920 Speaker 1: people are only casting one ballot, and I'm not a 417 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 1: communications professional, so that might not be exactly the way 418 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:29,800 Speaker 1: to do that, but this is what we need to 419 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 1: give election officials the resources to do to fight that disinformation. 420 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:36,159 Speaker 1: They need their own communications professionals, right, they need to 421 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: be working in those offices, and that cost money that 422 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,720 Speaker 1: they don't have. So we're looping back to the same 423 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: problem here in many ways, but it's a potentially very 424 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 1: powerful solution. If we can get this right, what do 425 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 1: you think the future of our elections look like? Yeah? Right, 426 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: you know we have long said, you know, every election 427 00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: is the most important election, and obviously the less couple 428 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,960 Speaker 1: were consequential to whether or not we actually continue to 429 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 1: be a functioning democracy or not. Some would argue that 430 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:11,800 Speaker 1: we're not actually a functioning democracy right now. But as 431 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: we look ahead to twenty twenty four, again another consequential 432 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: presidential election, what are your thoughts about America as a 433 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 1: whole as we're watching other countries fall to authoritarianism and 434 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:36,960 Speaker 1: fascism that have pretend elections. I mean they have elections, Yeah, yeah, 435 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 1: they just don't mean anything. And so where are your 436 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: thoughts about how America looks in the next few years? 437 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: What a great question. So, ay, we start with the election. 438 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,280 Speaker 1: So what we have to do, Like you said, I 439 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: think five minutes ago, when you walk into that polling place, 440 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: you have to have a good experience, because what keeps 441 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 1: people going back to democracy is the like individual sort 442 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 1: of customer service level experiences they have with that system. 443 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,960 Speaker 1: I think that one of the reasons, more broadly, that 444 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,640 Speaker 1: our democracy is under threat is that our government does 445 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: not do a good enough job of providing customer service 446 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:19,640 Speaker 1: to people. When someone needs Medicaid in order to take 447 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:22,520 Speaker 1: their kids to the doctor, we make that process so 448 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: hard for them to sign up with. There's so many 449 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,120 Speaker 1: pieces of paper that say the same thing over and 450 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:30,240 Speaker 1: over again, so many different offices to go to when 451 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: we owe someone a tax refund. We make the process 452 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:34,640 Speaker 1: of the government giving us the money that they owe 453 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: us so hard that all of this is actually about 454 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: one sort of coherent theory of government service delivery. And 455 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 1: at the Ensuite for Responsive Government, there's a reason we 456 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 1: didn't call it Responsive Election Administration. We called it the 457 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: Institute for Responsive Government, because we think every single one 458 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: of these government customer service interactions is about strengthening democracy. 459 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 1: When you go to the DMV and you have to 460 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: go home four times because their website was clear about 461 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,800 Speaker 1: which kinds of idea you had to bring, I just 462 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: moved to Illinois. I'm not saying this happened to me recently. 463 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: I'm not saying it didn't happen to me, because apparently 464 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:13,160 Speaker 1: very well, and I am so privileged compared to like 465 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:16,760 Speaker 1: most people who who are living My ability to go 466 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:18,920 Speaker 1: home and get those papers without calling sick for my 467 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 1: second job and losing income was unique to meet. And 468 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:26,440 Speaker 1: so the government not only needs to be providing a 469 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: good democracy experience mechanically, and that means that when you know, 470 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:33,280 Speaker 1: you need to have good poll workers that respect you 471 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: when you go in and can explain that process to you, 472 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:38,479 Speaker 1: and that you cast your ballot and walk out feeling 473 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:41,040 Speaker 1: like you had a great experience with your neighbors. It 474 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 1: means when I go to the DMV. First of all, 475 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 1: when I go to the DMV, they should be automatically 476 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,040 Speaker 1: registering me to vote. If I'm proving that I'm an 477 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 1: eligible citizen through all those papers that I brought, they 478 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:51,680 Speaker 1: should just be adding me to the voter rolls. I 479 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:53,520 Speaker 1: shouldn't have to fill out another piece of paper that 480 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 1: tells the government the exact same thing I just told them. 481 00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: But moreover, if that DMV experience is good, then I 482 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 1: will out of their thinking like, wow, I had a 483 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 1: good experience at this government office. And this whole project 484 00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:08,120 Speaker 1: we are working on together where we like it's a 485 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:10,120 Speaker 1: democracy is a weird idea. We get together with our 486 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:12,880 Speaker 1: neighbors and we say, let's like pull our resources and 487 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 1: work together and build a system that makes us all 488 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: better off. And the way to strengthen our democracy is 489 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:22,360 Speaker 1: by actually making us all better off, you know, delivering 490 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: material wins for people through the government is a way 491 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: to strengthen democracy. And going back to the beginning of 492 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,080 Speaker 1: our conversation. It also lifts security and access. At the 493 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:37,120 Speaker 1: same time, the more we automate tax filings, the harder 494 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:39,520 Speaker 1: it is to cheat on your taxes. All of these 495 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:41,800 Speaker 1: are the same where the more we use data we 496 00:31:41,840 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 1: already have to deliver things people deserve, the better people 497 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 1: are off, the better democracy is, and the more secure 498 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:52,959 Speaker 1: the system is. At a whole, it really improves the 499 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:58,880 Speaker 1: integrity of democracy, not just the election system. Brilliant Sam, 500 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 1: This has been such and enlightening conversation that I know 501 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 1: that people are going to walk away and be really 502 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,400 Speaker 1: thankful for it. Please tell the woke app audience how 503 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:13,640 Speaker 1: they can learn more about your organization if they want 504 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:18,280 Speaker 1: to get involved. Please awesome. So, first of all, please 505 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:23,200 Speaker 1: visit our website. It's Responsive governing dot org or if 506 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,239 Speaker 1: you just google the Institute for Responsive Government you can 507 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,680 Speaker 1: find it that way. The reason I say come visit 508 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: us on our website is we work on a number 509 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:34,600 Speaker 1: of different topic areas, like I said, primarily voting an election, administration, 510 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:37,520 Speaker 1: but also these other areas of government service delivery where 511 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,920 Speaker 1: there's so much good technical sounding work that it first 512 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: sounds boring and then you look into it a little 513 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:45,280 Speaker 1: bit more and then you realize how transformative it can 514 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:48,040 Speaker 1: be to people's experience not only with the government, but 515 00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,640 Speaker 1: their ability to feed their families, take care of their families, etc. 516 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:54,880 Speaker 1: So come visit us a responsive governing We tweet a 517 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:59,840 Speaker 1: responsive underscore GOVT. And if there's anything I want people 518 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:02,640 Speaker 1: to take away, it's what we just said. It's that 519 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 1: like we can use data well to make government more accessible, 520 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 1: to make voting more accessible, to automatically register people to vote, 521 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,960 Speaker 1: to provide them the best choices possible about how to 522 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:19,560 Speaker 1: cast their ballot securely and efficiently and increase election security 523 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:22,880 Speaker 1: at the same time. So come out of the frames 524 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:26,360 Speaker 1: that we're thinking about these issues on. You know, if 525 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 1: we're not seeing impact from a policy, then that policy 526 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 1: isn't doing what it's supposed to do. We do a 527 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 1: lot of legislative work where we pass bills that try 528 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: and sort of encompass these principles. Passing a bill is 529 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:41,560 Speaker 1: not a win. If there's a bill pass that implement 530 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:44,920 Speaker 1: that passes an automatic voter registration system, that's not a 531 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,040 Speaker 1: win until we actually see people being added to the 532 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:51,080 Speaker 1: voter rolls. And that takes everyone in government working together 533 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:54,480 Speaker 1: to actually make implementation happen. And if you're not thinking 534 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:58,680 Speaker 1: about that process through the entire scope of policymaking, you're 535 00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:01,480 Speaker 1: not doing policymaking right and you're not going to do 536 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:04,479 Speaker 1: your policy making in a way that actually improves people's lives. 537 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,600 Speaker 1: So I would invite listeners to come learn about how 538 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:10,719 Speaker 1: to make policy with impact and implementation in mind, how 539 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:13,279 Speaker 1: to keep those practical lenses on while you do this, 540 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:16,200 Speaker 1: and how to sort of think about democracy the entire time. 541 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:18,839 Speaker 1: It's something broader than just something we do every two 542 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:22,200 Speaker 1: or four years. It's every interaction we have with our neighbors, 543 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:24,759 Speaker 1: and it's every interaction we have with our government, and 544 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,359 Speaker 1: together we can actually make that something that makes all 545 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:31,719 Speaker 1: of our lives better. Sam Olika Friedland, thank you so 546 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:34,040 Speaker 1: much for making the time to join woke F and 547 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:36,759 Speaker 1: for all of the work that you are doing to 548 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,560 Speaker 1: try and keep our elections safe and fair and free. 549 00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:43,360 Speaker 1: I appreciate you. Thank you so much for having me. 550 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:46,720 Speaker 1: This was an absolutely delightful conversation about a difficult topic, 551 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:54,920 Speaker 1: and I'm so glad you're covering it. That is it 552 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:58,960 Speaker 1: for me today, Dear friends on woke F. As always, 553 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:02,680 Speaker 1: power to the people and to all the people power, 554 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 1: get woke, and stay woke as fuck.