1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Should Know from House Stuff Works 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast me. I'm 3 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: Josh Clark. There's Charles W. Chuck Bryant, and there's Jerry 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: Jerome Rolland you put the three of us together in 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: a room, shake it up, pick out some of the 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: chest hairs. You got stuff you should know. I thought 7 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: that was gross. I thought you'd like that. You're ready 8 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: to get angry on this one. I'm trying to keep 9 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: it cool. Man. I woke up yesterday and said, I 10 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: really want to take off a significant portion of our listeners. 11 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: So what could what topic could we do? And I 12 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: thought voter suppression? Perfect. Well, you know what, man, I've 13 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 1: been trying to think about the why this bugs me 14 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: so much. Voter suppression obviously bugs me because it's not right. 15 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: But what really bugs me, I think is that if 16 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: you're in Washington, D C. And you're in government, like 17 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 1: everyone knows about this stuff and everyone talks about it. Frankly, 18 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: when the microphones run around, like do you watch the 19 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: show Veep? I love it. I've only seen season five, 20 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 1: but man, it is so good. Like supposedly, that's kind 21 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: of how it is. Like when the microphones aren't around. 22 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: They all talk about politics in very frank terms, but 23 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 1: as soon as you get on television or in front 24 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: of a microphone, you have to tow the party lines 25 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: on both sides with this rhetoric crap, and it ends 26 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: up you can't even really talk about the things. Well no, 27 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: but plus also, I think one of the reasons that 28 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: that is the way it is is because you've got 29 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: to feed the sheeple like a certain like you said 30 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: that that company line or that party line, because if 31 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: you really talked about what was really going on, some 32 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: of the people who agree with your BS would otherwise 33 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: disagree with the actual thing that's going on. You know 34 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: what I'm saying, Well, yeah, and let's just go ahead 35 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:12,279 Speaker 1: and say it. And this one on voter suppression, historically, uh, 36 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: the Republican Party has purposefully done things to try and 37 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: keep certain people from voting because they probably vote Democrat 38 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: and they can't just say that, so they say, no, 39 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: it's really about voter fraud. That's a big problem. And 40 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,799 Speaker 1: Democrats want those votes, and they say it's because they 41 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: just want a very inclusive democratic process, but that's not true. 42 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: They want those votes because they're probably gonna be Democrat votes, right, 43 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: and Democrats will do anything, including voter fraud, to get 44 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: people to the polls or to get those votes. That's 45 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: the current, that's the argument that's going on right now. Yeah, 46 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 1: but you know what I'm saying, though, like neither one 47 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: of them can say those things, so they have to 48 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: stand behind these two kind of bogus reasons, and it's 49 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: just infuriating. Right. So the reasons, these bogus reasons, ostensibly 50 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: focused reasons, are that if you take measures to make 51 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: it a little difficult to vote, what you're going to 52 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: do is protect the integrity of the electoral system. Right. 53 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: This is the this is the Republican's viewpoint. If you 54 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: do that, then there's gonna be a couple of things. One, 55 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,119 Speaker 1: you're gonna cut down on fraud, which again the Democrats 56 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: are just total fraudsters when it comes to voting as 57 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: far as Republicans are concerned. And then it's also going 58 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: to in some cases, sure, it's gonna make it a 59 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: little difficult for some people to vote, but the Republican 60 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: way of thinking is if you really care about voting, 61 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: you're gonna do whatever it takes to get to that poll. 62 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: And register and vote. And if you don't, if if 63 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: just a couple of simple barriers will keep you from 64 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: doing that, then nuts to you, man, I don't care 65 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: about your vote and ts for the Democrats who you 66 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: probably would have voted for. That's like, that's the that's 67 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: the argument in public that you're talking about, that you're 68 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,119 Speaker 1: saying is focus when it's really these people who are 69 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: having access issues to voting because of the laws that 70 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: the GOP is putting up, um are more likely to 71 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: vote for Democrats. So hence these are these are targeted 72 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: attempts to block people from voting for Democrats. Yeah, that's 73 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 1: that's the reality of it. Allegedly, we should say, chuck, 74 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: like there's just calling it voter suppression is kind of 75 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: controversial in and of itself. Well, yeah, no one likes 76 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: to use those words because on on the one side, 77 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,240 Speaker 1: like you said, they there's like, it's not about voter suppression, 78 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: it's about like, you know, what's wrong with having to 79 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: have an I D to go cast a vote? Right? 80 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: I mean, on its face it makes sense. You know, 81 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: they say you have to have idea to buy alcohol. 82 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: If some clerk decides that he wants to see your 83 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 1: i D. You have to show it to him, or 84 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: you can't buy alcohol. What's the problem with that? You know? Well, right, 85 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: and then you go to some parts of Texas and 86 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: they say, well, you can use your your gun license 87 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: to vote, but don't use your student I D. That 88 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 1: doesn't count, right, So, like it's it's the fact that 89 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: they're all very targeted. And everyone will see as we 90 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: go through this, it's very targeted. Like and we'll we'll 91 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: bring up specific cases where you know, they find out 92 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:28,119 Speaker 1: like oh, man, um, leading up to the election where 93 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: Barack Obama's first elected presidential election, Um, we saw a 94 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: surge in increase in black voters in this county. So 95 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: let's go to that county specifically and introduce some legislation 96 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:41,359 Speaker 1: that's gonna make it harder for them to get to 97 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: the polls specifically there. Yeah, Like it's maddening. Oh it is. 98 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: It's infuriating. Even I was reading kind of the other 99 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: side on this by a guy named David French who 100 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 1: writes for the National Review, and he was saying, even 101 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: he was like, if that happens what you just described, 102 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: it should be vigorously litigated. That that that there's no 103 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: excuse for that, for anything that's that's specifically targeting like 104 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: minorities or the elderly. You're making it difficult for any 105 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: group that to to to like purposefully making it harder 106 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 1: for them to vote, and targeting people like that, then yeah, 107 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: it should be litigated and those those rules should be 108 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,919 Speaker 1: thrown out. Well, and that happens. It is litigated, litigated, 109 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,360 Speaker 1: and quite often reports do say like you can't do this, 110 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 1: and they say, all right, well, we won't do it again. 111 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 1: But it worked on this election right well. One of 112 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: the reasons why this we're currently in the midst of 113 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: a really massive wave of voter suppression laws that are 114 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 1: are sweeping the country right now. And one of the 115 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: reasons why it's being allowed to go on is because 116 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: just like in Citizens United Them, Roberts Supreme Court said, 117 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: you know what, things are fine, We're just going to 118 00:06:55,640 --> 00:07:00,040 Speaker 1: gut an important provision of the Voting Rights Act of 119 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 1: nineteen six five. We'll talk a little bit more about 120 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: that in a minute, but it basically said, you these states, 121 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 1: in these specific districts in these states have a history 122 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: of voter suppression um and we the federal government are 123 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: going to keep an eye on you. So much so 124 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: that you can't make any changes to your voting procedures 125 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: without the federal government approving it. And in two thousand thirteen, 126 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:25,960 Speaker 1: I believe, the Supreme Court said, you know what, we're fine, 127 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: we're post racial being a black president. We don't need 128 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,840 Speaker 1: that anymore, and they overturned that provision of the Voting 129 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: Rights Act, and it's allowed again, this, this massive wave 130 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 1: of voter suppression laws to be passed in this country. Man, 131 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: We're already riled up. It's tough. It's tough not to 132 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: be you know what. We're you gonna say, should we 133 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: take a break? No, not a break, I was gonna 134 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: say it. Should we just go back and talk about 135 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: history a little bit? Yeah, man, because the history is 136 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: much easier to stomach. Yeah right, Uh okay. So um, 137 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: and you you put this article together with our own 138 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: article on a bunch of other good stuff. Yes, nice work, thanks, um. 139 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: But you point out that very astutele that it's not 140 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: in the constitution the right to vote. This has been 141 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: uh left up to the states over the years. Um, 142 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: even though we've had you know, amendments since then that 143 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: obviously allowed certain people right to vote. It wasn't just 144 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: originally included like, hey, everyone can vote. Everyone has the 145 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: right to vote in this country, right and no. Originally 146 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: the only group that the UM that citizens of the 147 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: United States could vote for was the House of Representatives, 148 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:40,960 Speaker 1: the Senate, and the president and the president still this 149 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:44,199 Speaker 1: is the case. We're elected by an electoral college, right, 150 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: So eventually they added Senate seats for people to be 151 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: able to directly vote for. But in the first presidential 152 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:57,160 Speaker 1: election in seventeen eighty nine, UM, the one that that 153 00:08:57,559 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 1: or George Washington won and was elected to the president. 154 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: See the first presidency of the United States. UM, like 155 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:07,000 Speaker 1: six percent of the population in the US at the 156 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: time were eligible to vote, and that was it. Yeah, 157 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: it was only white men, uh and freed African American 158 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: slaves and just four states. I saw six, six states. 159 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: I was really surprised to see that. But yeah, who 160 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: owned property? Right, that's a big one. Right, So that 161 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 1: left like eight guys, right they were allowed to But yeah, 162 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:31,840 Speaker 1: you had to own property, and that was the big 163 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: division at first, even apparently more so than UM by race. 164 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: It was by whether you were a landowner a property owner, right, Yeah, 165 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: and you had to be twenty one There were certain 166 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: religious restrictions too. So, like you said, that ended up 167 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 1: six percent, six percent of the population could vote. That's 168 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:50,800 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm gonna cut him a little slack on 169 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: the first election. Say, they were trying to get it together, 170 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: but six percent is an alarmingly non low number. But 171 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: they probably thought that was the six percent of people 172 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,199 Speaker 1: that mattered, right, And I guess it's it's it's more 173 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: inclusive than the one percent, but it's still pretty pretty low. 174 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: We're in the single digits here, you know. Uh, But 175 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 1: like you were saying, it's um a class distinctions. Distinction 176 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: was really kind of the biggest deal. Uh. And that 177 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:20,079 Speaker 1: changed a bit when war veterans who fought for independence 178 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: from Britain stepped up and said, hey, a lot of 179 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:28,479 Speaker 1: us are not landowners and we helped free this country. Um, 180 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:32,079 Speaker 1: can can we vote? And little by little states said, 181 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 1: all right, you know you don't have to own property. Um, 182 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:39,079 Speaker 1: it's eighteen fifty. And let's just say all white males 183 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,559 Speaker 1: can vote in some African American males, but definitely not 184 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: women right now yet, just give us another seven decades 185 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: or so. Okay, we're just trying to keep our heads 186 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: from spinning. Overlighting people who don't own property vote exactly. 187 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: So the in that bizarre Did you know that the 188 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:01,960 Speaker 1: first group to agitate for for voting rights was white 189 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: men who did known land or veterans. I didn't know 190 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: that either. So, Um, something really big happened in the 191 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: middle of the nineteenth century that changed things as far 192 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 1: as voting went. And that was the Civil War and 193 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 1: the Thirteenth Amendment that and in slavery, followed by the 194 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:23,840 Speaker 1: fifteenth Amendment that granted suffrage to all men in the 195 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 1: United States. Yeah, regardless of race, color, or previous condition 196 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: of servitude. But again and some women. Right, And it 197 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: should have said dot dot dot supposedly because that fifteenth 198 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: Amendment is what unleashed sort of the first uh Like, 199 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: like before there was just voter suppression. They were like, no, 200 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,960 Speaker 1: you just can't vote. And now they said, uh, well 201 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:51,199 Speaker 1: you can vote, And so they had to be creative 202 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: with their voter suppression, right. And at first there was 203 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:58,320 Speaker 1: a period of reconstruction in the in the South after 204 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: the Civil War where the federal troops they I guess 205 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 1: it was led still by General Ulysses Grant if he 206 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: wasn't president by now, um, where the federal troops were 207 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: occupying the South under martial law, right, and they were 208 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: enforcing the Fifteenth Amendment and um other laws that had 209 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: come into effect after the Civil War, and it was 210 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: like black people could hold office, they could vote, they 211 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 1: could live in this transition period from slavery into freedom, 212 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: and they were doing it under the auspices of the 213 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:40,719 Speaker 1: Union Army. Um. But then the Union Army withdrew pretty prematurely, 214 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,200 Speaker 1: I think of the eighteen seventies early eighteen seventies, and 215 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:47,320 Speaker 1: it went from the Reconstruction South with which ended up 216 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:49,959 Speaker 1: lasting just a few years, to what became known as 217 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: the Jim Crow South, which was basically slavery by any 218 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: other name than slavery. Yeah, that's when the Dixiecrats, which 219 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: were conservative Democrats, uh, I guess conservatives of the day, 220 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,120 Speaker 1: that's when they started to get creative and said, all right, well, 221 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 1: we have this new fifteenth Amendment, so let's try and 222 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 1: think of a lot of ways even though the law 223 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,719 Speaker 1: says that black men can vote, that we can keep 224 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: them from doing so. Um. So how about a literacy test, um, 225 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: and not only just a literacy test, but maybe one 226 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:23,679 Speaker 1: only in English. So that way there's no way an 227 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:28,160 Speaker 1: immigrant can vote if they can't read English, or maybe 228 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 1: some poll taxes where you have to pay like like 229 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 1: a dollar to register to vote. But but in like 230 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: two thousand and sixteen money that was like eight hundred dollars. 231 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: Actually looked it up, it's uh nine thou dollars. In 232 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: the in the early nineteen hundreds, I looked up like 233 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,840 Speaker 1: Texas it was a dollar fifty to register and that 234 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: would be like forty three dollars today. Yeah, but you know, 235 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: for a poor person who you know is maybe waffling 236 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,959 Speaker 1: on whether or not to bother voting, charging them forty 237 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: three dollars is probably gonna sel a deal. And George 238 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: actually had a cumulative tax apparently for many years where 239 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 1: every year, uh like if you were forty years old, um, 240 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: every year from the age of twenty one that you 241 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: weren't registered to vote, you would have to pay per 242 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: year when you first registered to vote. Oh wow, So 243 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 1: that was clearly targeting like a freed slave in his 244 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: fifties would then have to pay a cumulative tax from 245 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,240 Speaker 1: the age from one up to fifty and you know, 246 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: and again that just basically meant no one was going 247 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: to register. Well, there are a lot of grandfather claus 248 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 1: laws to which basically said that if you were registered 249 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: to vote prior to the fifteenth Amendment or your grandfather 250 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 1: was registered to vote prior to the fift Amendment, Um, 251 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 1: you you were eligible now under these Jim Crow laws. 252 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: But most black people in the South were not registered 253 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: to vote, nor were their grandparents prior to the fifteenth Amendment, 254 00:14:56,760 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: so that basically just stripped them of their voting rights 255 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 1: on aromatically as well. And you mentioned the literacy test 256 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 1: to Chuck. Did you look into those at all? Uh? Yeah, 257 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: I mean some of them somewhere like like recite the 258 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: U s Constitution, some of them somewhere like that twenty 259 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: twenty pages long. And they would be administered by white 260 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 1: Democrats and again Democrats at the time where the Party 261 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 1: of Conservatives, Um, the I I we should do an 262 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:29,720 Speaker 1: episode on that. And when the parties switched names, We've 263 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,920 Speaker 1: chatted about that. So, um, it would be left up 264 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,520 Speaker 1: to this poll worker who was administering the literacy literacy test, 265 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: It would be left up to their judgment whether the 266 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: person passed or failed. Yeah, like it like it was 267 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,400 Speaker 1: up to them. It wasn't an objective test. That was 268 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: a subjective test. Yeah, and so the the end result 269 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 1: of this is in nineteen forty, nineteen forty, not eighteen forty. Uh. 270 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 1: These suppression campaigns worked so well that only three percent 271 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 1: of eligible voters African American Southerners were registered to vote 272 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 1: by nineteen forty. And you know, it's probably one of 273 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,760 Speaker 1: the worst parts about that is that I'll bet in 274 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: nineteen forty that the average white person considered black people 275 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: politically disengaged in this country because of statistics like that, 276 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: Oh right to say, like, oh, they don't even vote, Yeah, 277 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: they don't even care about politics, and three percent of 278 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: them are are registered to vote even you know. Yeah, 279 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: And this wasn't limited to the South, kind of up 280 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: north and nationwide there were things going on. Notably, there 281 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: was a h for naturalized citizens. It was very long 282 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: residency requirements, UM, basically to try and keep uh immigrants 283 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: from voting for a long time, especially the Chinese. Apparently 284 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: do you know that I did not. There's a an 285 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty two law it's pretty on the nose, the 286 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: Chinese Exclusion Act, and it said if you're Chinese and 287 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: you're an immigrant, you're not allowed to become a citizen, 288 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: which meant they couldn't vote. And this was on the 289 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: books in the United States until nineteen forty three. Yeah, 290 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: this stuff isn't ancient history. That that's why it's so shocking, 291 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:12,439 Speaker 1: you know. Uh. So nineteen twenty comes along and um, 292 00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:16,680 Speaker 1: women were finally given the right to vote thanks to 293 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:19,679 Speaker 1: the nineteenth Amendment. Uh and you mentioned the Voting Rights 294 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:24,639 Speaker 1: Act of nineteen sixty five, which finally got rid of 295 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 1: the Jim Crow voting laws officially in the South. Um, 296 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:34,679 Speaker 1: but that didn't mean that suppression intimidation didn't still go on. No. 297 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:39,359 Speaker 1: You know, like whenever the federal government decided that it 298 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,920 Speaker 1: needed to lend a hand and assist, um, the black 299 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: population of the Southern States in gaining their citizenship, that 300 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 1: there would be a huge backlash to that. And um, 301 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 1: initially it meant the formation of the clan, and then 302 00:17:55,560 --> 00:18:00,160 Speaker 1: after the Civil Rights Act, the clan again experience. It's 303 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 1: this huge resurgence and popularity and membership and acts of 304 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 1: white terrorism just became the norm. And now that we're 305 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: looking back on it, you know, we think of like 306 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:12,359 Speaker 1: the Civil Rights movement. When I think of that, I 307 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,920 Speaker 1: don't think of it as actually agitating four civil rights. 308 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: I think of it as agitating for full citizenship and 309 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: equal treatment under the law and everything that makes up 310 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:23,879 Speaker 1: civil rights. But you don't think of it as like, 311 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 1: really at the basis what the civil rights leaders were 312 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 1: agitating for, where things like protection of their voting rights, 313 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 1: access to to the polls just as any white person 314 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: would enjoy. And that march, that very famous march from 315 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:43,080 Speaker 1: Selma to Montgomery. Um, did you see that movie Selma? 316 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:48,359 Speaker 1: That one. It's a great movie. Have you seen either thirteen? No, No, 317 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 1: I'm dying to see that one too, Dude, that one. 318 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:55,160 Speaker 1: That's amazing. It's just it's just amazing. It's really well done, 319 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:58,680 Speaker 1: and the stuff they're talking about is just so eye opening. 320 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 1: It's it's great. Like it's one of those one Joe 321 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 1: watch more than once, I'm sure. But that march from 322 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: Selma to Montgomery was a march for voting rights, and 323 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 1: it actually helped usher in this Voting Rights Act of 324 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:17,400 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty five because, um, the the Alabama State Patrol 325 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: I believe, I'm like horseback with batons and whips and 326 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 1: um uh, night sticks and tear gas just ruthlessly beat 327 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:33,879 Speaker 1: these unarmed, peaceful protesters in the street of Selma, and 328 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: it was all captured on on national television and broadcasts, 329 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,680 Speaker 1: and it really changed the mood of the nation as 330 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: far as that goes. And it actually was supremely counterproductive 331 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,119 Speaker 1: to people who were against black voting because it helped 332 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: protect black vote um by by the federal government through 333 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: the Voting Rights Act of nineteen Yeah. Another thing that 334 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: came with that act was an official ban on any 335 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: uh quote test or device end quote uh to qualify 336 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,680 Speaker 1: voters on the basis of literacy, education or fluency in English. Uh. 337 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 1: And then it took all the way until nineteen sixty 338 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: six until poll taxes were banned, um, which was kind 339 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: of way later than I thought. It was like the 340 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: next year. Well no, I mean just period. Oh yeah. No, 341 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:24,399 Speaker 1: those Jim Crow laws were basically done away with after 342 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 1: a century. Yeah, as they were around for a century 343 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,880 Speaker 1: in one form or another. Unbelievable yeah uh. And then 344 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 1: finally during Vietnam they finally lowered the age voting age 345 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,960 Speaker 1: to eighteen and nineteen seventy one post Vietnam because veterans 346 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:42,919 Speaker 1: were like, Hey, I can be drafted and shot and 347 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: killed for my country, but I can't vote. Uh, and 348 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: they all went, uh, yeah, it's a good point. It 349 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 1: is a good point to argue that, uh you want 350 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:53,679 Speaker 1: to take a break. Yeah, man, all right, we'll be 351 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:57,680 Speaker 1: right back and talk about the eleven voter suppression techniques. 352 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: Sk alright, Uh, we're back and um before actually we 353 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 1: move on to some of these eleven techniques. UM, my 354 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,440 Speaker 1: question for you, sir, the basis of all this is 355 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,879 Speaker 1: voter fraud. Is what the argument is for for a 356 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,679 Speaker 1: lot of these, especially with I D SO, is that, like, 357 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: is voter fraud real? So? Um, I mean everything I 358 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,600 Speaker 1: came across that I that strikes me as legitimate, although 359 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: I'm not sure how um legitimate, like say a conservative 360 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 1: might find it, but like the Brookings Institution, to me, 361 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:57,320 Speaker 1: it's definitely left leaning. But I would also say that 362 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:03,000 Speaker 1: it's quite a legitimate think tank. Um, but the studies 363 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: that I've come across all say, no, it's not really 364 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: a thing like the It's it's basically a specter. It's 365 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: a potential possibility, but it's in actuality, it's not a thing. 366 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:19,919 Speaker 1: And one thing I saw was that, um, this came 367 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,639 Speaker 1: I'm not sure where this one came from, but eighty 368 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:27,360 Speaker 1: six convictions three hundred million votes cast in the last 369 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,159 Speaker 1: few elections. I would say that's probably about ten to 370 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:34,439 Speaker 1: twelve elections. There's only been eighty six convictions for voter fraud. 371 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 1: And the other issue with this, specifically specifically with voter 372 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:43,359 Speaker 1: I D laws is that most of those cases of 373 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: fraud where people have actually been convicted of voter fraud 374 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: were mail in ballots, and so like a voter I 375 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 1: D card is not going to do anything for that 376 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:55,000 Speaker 1: because you don't you don't produce I D to mail 377 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:59,199 Speaker 1: in a ballot. So the idea that there is a 378 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 1: big problem with voter fraud is um ostensibly not real, 379 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,800 Speaker 1: although of course Trump is going to um he's he's 380 00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 1: carrying out an investigation and he's formed a commission, so 381 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 1: I'm very curious to find out what they find. But um, 382 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,640 Speaker 1: even if it were a real thing, from the the 383 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:23,719 Speaker 1: pattern that we're seeing, the voter ide laws aren't going 384 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,359 Speaker 1: to help anything anyway. So far as it actually makes 385 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: a difference in an election outcome, it is negligible. No, 386 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:35,120 Speaker 1: And I have to say there are really It's not 387 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: like the people who who are who say, especially rank 388 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 1: and file GOP members, right, not necessarily like high elected officials, 389 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:49,520 Speaker 1: but just like the average GOP party member. It's not 390 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:52,400 Speaker 1: like they're lunatics for believing that there's such a thing 391 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:56,280 Speaker 1: as widespread voter fraud, right, Like, this is a big 392 00:23:56,359 --> 00:24:01,240 Speaker 1: drum that's beat on the conservatives side and in conservative media, 393 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: But there's also like UM instances in the past that 394 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 1: can be pointed to saying like see, see this is 395 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 1: what they do. UM like Acorn definitely didn't help anything. 396 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 1: Acorn was a community organizing UM group that had been 397 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: around since I think the eighties, and they were dedicated 398 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:25,920 Speaker 1: to getting UM lower income minority people who traditionally had 399 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 1: trouble accessing UM the polls or voting, getting them registered 400 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,479 Speaker 1: and getting them to vote right. So they were very 401 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:39,160 Speaker 1: much aligned with the Democratic viewpoints of universal access, universal 402 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:42,960 Speaker 1: participation in elections and UM. They were very much a 403 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 1: left leaning organization. They were associated with Obama very famously 404 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,880 Speaker 1: and then equally famously, they were this disgraced organization because 405 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:55,440 Speaker 1: they were accused of voter fraud, a voter registration fraud 406 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: to be specific. And the way that this happened was 407 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:00,600 Speaker 1: they would send out people a canvass neghborhoods and they 408 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:02,679 Speaker 1: would give them a quota and if they met their quota, 409 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:05,119 Speaker 1: then they would say get paid a bonus or something 410 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:09,600 Speaker 1: like that. Right, So these Acorn workers were given and 411 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:11,680 Speaker 1: these were just the same people who were also maybe 412 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,360 Speaker 1: on the next Tuesday coming by your house to see 413 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: if you wanted to donate to the Sierra Club to 414 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:21,359 Speaker 1: write um. They they were given an incentive to create 415 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:24,159 Speaker 1: fake registrations and a lot of them did they. And 416 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: when these investigations were launched in multiple states into acorn 417 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: um and voter registration fraud, it was found that these 418 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: people weren't trying to pave the way for fraud at 419 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: the polls, but that they were creating fake registration forms, 420 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 1: very frequently duplicate registration forms for the same person to 421 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,000 Speaker 1: get paid for work they hadn't done to get paid 422 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:50,840 Speaker 1: from Acorn. And that was the extent of it. So 423 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 1: Acorn ended up disbanding, but they left a huge, huge 424 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 1: blemish on the argument from the the the liberal side 425 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: saying we don't engage in voter fraud? What are you 426 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: crazy for even thinking that? Now? Forever conservatives, especially people 427 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:11,920 Speaker 1: who aren't who are you know, let's just say conservatives. 428 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: I can point to acorn for the rest of the time, 429 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:16,960 Speaker 1: the rest of the time, and be like, look, you 430 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: guys did that. So, yes, there is such thing as 431 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:22,280 Speaker 1: voter fraud in my mind, and you can't persuade me otherwise. 432 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:25,639 Speaker 1: And as long as there's that kind of division, uh, 433 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: there's you're not going to be able to persuade anybody 434 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: if there's no such thing as voter fraud. That's a 435 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: good point. Um, all right, should we talk about the 436 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:40,400 Speaker 1: eleven techniques? I'm pretty tired, man, I don't know. Yes, 437 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:48,280 Speaker 1: all right. Number one, number one on our list voter caging. Um, 438 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 1: who was that? Was that your carson? Oh? No, sort 439 00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:56,120 Speaker 1: of a casey case of me. That was pretty good. 440 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 1: Did you ever hear that great outtake when he had 441 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:04,479 Speaker 1: to read the letter? Pretty wonderful that that taught me 442 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,639 Speaker 1: to just shut up when a mic time? Was it dead? Dog? 443 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: Was that it specifically? But it was? It was a 444 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:15,120 Speaker 1: pretty funny out take, man, God bless him, alright. Voter 445 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 1: caging is when uh you send mail uh un unforwordable 446 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:29,879 Speaker 1: forwardable M. That's really a mouthful mail which cannot be forwarded. Um. 447 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 1: Uh send that mail to an address uh that is 448 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 1: on the voter rolls UH. And then and when it's 449 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 1: not uh, when it's returned undelivered. Basically they challenge and say, 450 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,399 Speaker 1: this person no longer lives at this address, so they 451 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 1: can't vote, right, which in and of itself is not scientific, 452 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:59,359 Speaker 1: it's not illegal. It's when you target say Democrats, UM, 453 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,840 Speaker 1: I think SpeI typically minorities, it becomes illegal. You're you're, you're, 454 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:07,080 Speaker 1: you can't target any minority group. UM. But I believe 455 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:12,280 Speaker 1: you can target the opponents party like registered party members. 456 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 1: But the whole point is is you're saying this person 457 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:16,360 Speaker 1: doesn't lived there or else they would have gotten their mail, 458 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,120 Speaker 1: and because they don't live there, their their vote can't count. 459 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 1: They should be purged from the rolls. Right. Very famously 460 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:26,399 Speaker 1: happened in ninety eight when this literature was sent to 461 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 1: eighteen thousand registered Democrats UH, and then again in nine 462 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 1: one when UM Republicans sent thousands of letters to UH minorities, 463 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: blacks and Latinos in New Jersey and UH. That one 464 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:43,880 Speaker 1: actually calls such a stir that the the r n 465 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: C got together with the d n C and said, 466 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,880 Speaker 1: you know what, I'm gonna consent here, UH with a 467 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,560 Speaker 1: consent decree and we're not gonna do it anymore. Right, 468 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 1: they didn't just do that the goodness of their hearts. 469 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 1: The d n C sued the r n C for 470 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: that night one an election because there was a lot 471 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,920 Speaker 1: of dirty stuff. And to this day, the r n 472 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: C if it does any if it undertakes any um 473 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: uh voters suppression techniques, wants to create any changes in 474 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,760 Speaker 1: in voting regularity. Um, it has to get approval by 475 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:22,920 Speaker 1: the courts first, correct, But that doesn't stop it from 476 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 1: happening because now it's just, uh, the third party groups 477 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 1: can do it now because they're not part of the 478 00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 1: r n C officially or the d n C, and 479 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:36,240 Speaker 1: so it still happens. Yeah, what about these flyers, these 480 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: so these kind of fall into uh larger category of 481 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: misinformation campaigns. Right, you got flyers, you got robo calls. Um, 482 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:50,840 Speaker 1: these are just so brazen. They really are, like literally 483 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: robo calls that say, hey, you your Democratic Canada has 484 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 1: basically already won, so you just stay at home and 485 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: relax tomorrow. Yeah, don't forget to vote on November five, 486 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 1: Latino voter, even though election days November four. Yeah, it's 487 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:10,360 Speaker 1: so And you know, I was about to say how 488 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:12,720 Speaker 1: did they get away with it? But it says right 489 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 1: in here, uh who is it? The co director of 490 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,960 Speaker 1: the voting rights group Advancement Project says, basically, you know 491 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,000 Speaker 1: they're usually anonymous, So like, how do you how do 492 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 1: you go after someone? You wait around at mailboxes? You 493 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 1: could arrest the mail carrier. I guess, oh did you 494 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:30,840 Speaker 1: think about that? I was thinking that they were just 495 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: dropped in the mailboxes, but I guess they are mail 496 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 1: These guys at these like handlebar mustaches and like black capes, 497 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:42,080 Speaker 1: come in hand deliver these things. So basically there's no 498 00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: way to trace this stuff. Um So, as a as 499 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:48,360 Speaker 1: a minority in a in a minority neighborhood, you might 500 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 1: get a flyer and a robo call saying a wrong 501 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,440 Speaker 1: date like you said, or don't bother your candidates one, 502 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 1: or you know, mail mail your absentee votes to this address, 503 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,680 Speaker 1: which is incorrect. Yeah, and this is like really really 504 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: underhanded stuff, super illegal stuff. But again you can't unless 505 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 1: you can trace it back to somebody who specifically and 506 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:17,840 Speaker 1: purposefully carried out this this campaign. That what you can't 507 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,920 Speaker 1: do anything about it except go public and say no, no, no, 508 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,760 Speaker 1: don't listen to that Yeah, well, because what happens is 509 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:27,240 Speaker 1: you get a Hispanic voter on the nightly news. It 510 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 1: says I got a call that said I could vote 511 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: my phone, and half the people watching that probably think 512 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 1: while like this guy probably didn't even understand that phone call. 513 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:40,800 Speaker 1: So it's choked off as that when in fact he 514 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 1: really did get a phone call saying he could vote 515 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 1: by phone. Yeah. Well, yeah, that happened in Nevada in 516 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,200 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight. I think that it. Um sorry Nevada. 517 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:54,920 Speaker 1: It'll always be Nevada to me. I'm sorry Nevada. I 518 00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 1: know it tries you guys at poop, but it's true. Nevada, Nevada. 519 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:04,680 Speaker 1: What else, Chuck, This is a big one. I got one. 520 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: You're ready, Uh, felony disenfranchise mare fellon disenfranchisement. Yeah, so 521 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,479 Speaker 1: there used to be apparently the Greeks are the ones 522 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 1: who came up with this, but it was really codified 523 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:23,840 Speaker 1: in in the West through medieval Europe, where if you 524 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: were a convicted bad guy, you would would undergo what 525 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:37,960 Speaker 1: was called a civil death right. Um, yes, so much so, Chuck, 526 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 1: that you could be murdered by another person and you 527 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 1: were no longer protected by the law, so the other 528 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 1: person would get away with its scott free right. One 529 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:49,200 Speaker 1: of the things that you lost was any kind of 530 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,120 Speaker 1: representation you might have or being able to participate in 531 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:57,000 Speaker 1: any kind of community processes. Right that carried over to 532 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:02,120 Speaker 1: the United States, but it really started to gain ground 533 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:07,200 Speaker 1: over the UM right after reconstruction, during the beginning of 534 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 1: the Jim Crow period, where UM a lot of state 535 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:14,160 Speaker 1: legislatures enshrined in their state constitutions that if you were 536 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,960 Speaker 1: convicted of a felony, you lost your voting rights, and 537 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,920 Speaker 1: in some cases you lost them forever. You had to 538 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:25,760 Speaker 1: appeal to the governor to restore them. Some states said 539 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 1: you lost them while you're in prison. Other states said 540 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:32,200 Speaker 1: you lost them after, say, if you were paroled, UM, 541 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 1: whenever your sentence was fully finished. But to some degree, UH, 542 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:41,960 Speaker 1: felons lost their right to vote, and it's stuck around. Yeah, 543 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 1: you know, I got the current stats here. There are 544 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:48,360 Speaker 1: only two states right now that allow an incarcerated felon 545 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:51,720 Speaker 1: to vote. Do you know what those are? One is Vermont? 546 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:55,960 Speaker 1: Uh is the other I honestly in New Hampshire, But 547 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 1: I don't know that that would be an obvious guess. 548 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:03,800 Speaker 1: But Maine m hm so close, crazy manners. It's that 549 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 1: Canada rubbing off on UH. Voting rights restored automatically upon 550 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 1: release d C Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, 551 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:20,640 Speaker 1: North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah from the 552 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:25,640 Speaker 1: rights restored automatically once released from prison and discharged from parole. 553 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:31,400 Speaker 1: Probationers can vote California, Colorado, Connecticut, New York restored automatically 554 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:37,800 Speaker 1: upon completion of sentence, including prison, parole and probation. In UH, 555 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:42,400 Speaker 1: A bunch of other ones. How about this everyone, But 556 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:46,840 Speaker 1: these last two voting rights restored dependent on type of 557 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 1: conviction or outcome of petition to the government Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, Nevada, Tennessee, Wyoming, 558 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:59,320 Speaker 1: and only restored through individual petition to the government Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, 559 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:01,799 Speaker 1: and Virginia. Right. So the ones that you did not hear, 560 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:09,200 Speaker 1: we're upon completion, including prison, parole, probation. So people might say, 561 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:12,640 Speaker 1: don't don't do the crime. Right, So if you if 562 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:17,000 Speaker 1: you like, On the one hand, it makes sense like 563 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:20,560 Speaker 1: you've given up some sort of civil liberties because you 564 00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:24,400 Speaker 1: you did commit some horrible, heinous crime. Other people say, okay, well, 565 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:27,200 Speaker 1: then maybe once you've done your time, you should get 566 00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:31,200 Speaker 1: your your rights back. The problem is in the United 567 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:35,880 Speaker 1: States there is um a real racial disparity between people 568 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:41,560 Speaker 1: who are convicted of felonies who are black, and everybody else. Right. Yes, 569 00:35:42,239 --> 00:35:47,600 Speaker 1: so overall seven points seven percent of the United States 570 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:51,799 Speaker 1: African American population as a whole, it does not have 571 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: the right to vote because of a felony conviction. For 572 00:35:55,680 --> 00:36:00,319 Speaker 1: the rest of the United States overall, just one point 573 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 1: eight percent, that's including all every other race. Right, So 574 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:08,400 Speaker 1: there's out of the gates. There's disproportionately more convicted felons 575 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:11,759 Speaker 1: among the African American population in the United States than 576 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:14,319 Speaker 1: everybody else. Right. But then when you start boiling that 577 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 1: down to voting rights on a state level, it becomes 578 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:25,800 Speaker 1: painfully clear that this certainly seems strategically targeted. These these laws. 579 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 1: In Florida, one in four of Florida's black residents in 580 00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:34,759 Speaker 1: two thousand and sixteen couldn't cast a ballot because they 581 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:39,360 Speaker 1: were disenfranchised for being felons, and four Florida was one 582 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:41,800 Speaker 1: of the ones that uh one of the four states 583 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:45,000 Speaker 1: where you had to have an individual petition approved by 584 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: the government. Right, So one quarter and that's not saying 585 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 1: one quarter of the the voting population of African Americans 586 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:58,560 Speaker 1: in Florida. That's that's the whole population, right. Um, and 587 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:05,800 Speaker 1: the African Americans have traditionally voted Democrat. Any law that says, 588 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:09,359 Speaker 1: now you're a felon you can't vote, you can just 589 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:12,560 Speaker 1: leave it at that and make your own your own 590 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:19,920 Speaker 1: surmises about it. Surmises it's a word. Now, surmations, Sir Masons. 591 00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:23,560 Speaker 1: That's what I was looking for. Uh. Voter i D laws, 592 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:27,080 Speaker 1: that's sort of a obviously a big one because it's 593 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:30,440 Speaker 1: probably when you hear most about in the news. Um. 594 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:34,080 Speaker 1: As of this year, thirty two states have laws requiring 595 00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 1: or requesting idea when voting. West Virginia's coming and um, 596 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,160 Speaker 1: so that would make thirty three states. Uh. And we 597 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 1: mentioned Texas earlier. That's one of the states where they 598 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:51,160 Speaker 1: say like, oh, well, um, you can use your gun permit, 599 00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:54,120 Speaker 1: but you can't use your college student i D even 600 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,440 Speaker 1: though the state has issued both of those. Right, Because 601 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,440 Speaker 1: if you're a student, you're possibly more likely to vote Democrat. 602 00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 1: If you are a gun owner, you're probably more likely 603 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:06,680 Speaker 1: to vote GOP. Right. And if you're talking nationally, eleven 604 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:14,600 Speaker 1: percent of Americans don't have current state issued photo I D. S. Um, 605 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:18,400 Speaker 1: there's a lot of reasons why. Uh, maybe you're elderly 606 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:23,440 Speaker 1: or disabled or both and you can't drive, so ay, 607 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:26,040 Speaker 1: you don't need a driver's license. B you have a 608 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:29,239 Speaker 1: hard time getting to the DMV just to get an 609 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:31,760 Speaker 1: I D like a non driving I D state issued 610 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:38,279 Speaker 1: I D um to vote. And once again, historically, uh, 611 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:41,440 Speaker 1: these people might be more apt to vote Democrats. So 612 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:44,320 Speaker 1: it's um, it's hard to not look at it along 613 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 1: those lines, right, And a lot of people say, well, 614 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:50,799 Speaker 1: there was this this commission back in I think two 615 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:55,000 Speaker 1: thousand five American university spots or to bipartisan commission to 616 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:58,760 Speaker 1: look into voter i D laws, right, whether they suppressed voting, 617 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,759 Speaker 1: whether they would prove fraud. And it was led by 618 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:06,120 Speaker 1: former Reagan Chief of Staff James Baker and former President 619 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:10,040 Speaker 1: Jimmy Carter, Right, two opposite sides of the coin. Yeah, 620 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:14,240 Speaker 1: but two statesmen, you could make the case. So um. 621 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:18,839 Speaker 1: So what they found is that both groups concerns were valid. Yes, 622 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:22,279 Speaker 1: voter I D could prevent voter fraud. Yes, voter ID 623 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:30,320 Speaker 1: laws would suppress voting. So they suggested the government, minorities, minorities, women, 624 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:34,080 Speaker 1: the elderly, and the disabled are the ones who are 625 00:39:34,120 --> 00:39:39,279 Speaker 1: most likely to be affected by voter I D laws. Right, yes, sorry, 626 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:45,680 Speaker 1: the the elderly, the poor, women, the disabled, and minorities. 627 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:49,440 Speaker 1: All five of those groups tend to vote Democrat two. 628 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:55,080 Speaker 1: So voter I D laws UM could be enacted to 629 00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:57,800 Speaker 1: prevent fraud, said this commission. But if you're going to 630 00:39:57,880 --> 00:40:00,640 Speaker 1: do that, you need to basically give out I D 631 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:02,920 Speaker 1: s and you have to make access to these I 632 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:07,560 Speaker 1: D s UM extremely easy. And so Texas, who has 633 00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:09,759 Speaker 1: a very strict ide law, you have to show a 634 00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:14,280 Speaker 1: photo ID to vote UM and only specific ones said okay, 635 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:17,160 Speaker 1: well then we'll we'll undertake this. We'll give away free 636 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:20,239 Speaker 1: I D s. But UM, you got to produce some 637 00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:23,200 Speaker 1: documents to get the I D. So, for example, you 638 00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:25,600 Speaker 1: might need to produce a birth certificate. If you don't 639 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:27,759 Speaker 1: have your birth certificate, you have to go get a 640 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:30,800 Speaker 1: copy of it. And if you were born before nineteen fifty, 641 00:40:31,239 --> 00:40:34,360 Speaker 1: then you have to go to wherever count whatever county 642 00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:36,799 Speaker 1: you were born in because they're not computerized records. You 643 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,040 Speaker 1: have to go to the county clerk's office, get it, 644 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:41,919 Speaker 1: pay forty two dollars for the copy, and then come 645 00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:44,520 Speaker 1: back and get your I D. And hopefully you also 646 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:47,640 Speaker 1: remember the other two pieces of documentation that you have 647 00:40:47,719 --> 00:40:50,080 Speaker 1: to bring with you to get this free I D. 648 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,040 Speaker 1: And this investigation, actually think it was a court case 649 00:40:53,320 --> 00:40:55,920 Speaker 1: found that in the fifteen months leading up to the 650 00:40:57,200 --> 00:41:00,440 Speaker 1: mid term elections, Texas is Free Vote your I D 651 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:05,560 Speaker 1: registration drive managed to issue just two D and nine 652 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:08,160 Speaker 1: I D s for the entire state over a fifteen 653 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:10,560 Speaker 1: month period. Well, and this whole thing with you have 654 00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:12,239 Speaker 1: to go to the county where you were born, if 655 00:41:12,239 --> 00:41:17,320 Speaker 1: you're basically elderly, right like you're driven across Texas. Well, Plus, 656 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,319 Speaker 1: if you're poor, remember that poll tax. You you calculated 657 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:22,759 Speaker 1: the dollar fifty poll tax in Texas, who came out 658 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:25,560 Speaker 1: to be about forty something dollars. Well, it costs forty 659 00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:27,799 Speaker 1: two dollars to get a copy of your birth certificate 660 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,960 Speaker 1: to get that free I D. Some people say that's 661 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,960 Speaker 1: a modern poll tax. Almost down to the penny, it's 662 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:37,320 Speaker 1: a modern poll tax. If you're poor, if you're broke, 663 00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,040 Speaker 1: if you have trouble making ends, meet forty two bucks 664 00:41:41,080 --> 00:41:44,839 Speaker 1: is a lot. Yeah, And if you're on the fence 665 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:47,520 Speaker 1: about voting, like you really want to vote, and that's 666 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 1: if you can get there to begin with. Right. So, 667 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:54,279 Speaker 1: but I live in San Antonio, right, and I don't 668 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:57,080 Speaker 1: have a car. So all of these things like these 669 00:41:57,080 --> 00:42:01,600 Speaker 1: are to to a person who believes, if you really 670 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:05,399 Speaker 1: want to vote, you're gonna you're gonna make it through 671 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:08,960 Speaker 1: hell and high water to vote. All of these excuses 672 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,879 Speaker 1: that we've just thrown out are just falling on deaf ears. Right, 673 00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:14,160 Speaker 1: But if you really step back and put it into 674 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:17,080 Speaker 1: context and really think about it from a realistic point 675 00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:20,280 Speaker 1: of view, like these are hardships. This is tough stuff. 676 00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:22,359 Speaker 1: And if you're if you're a voter and you really 677 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:26,360 Speaker 1: want to vote, um, it could dissuade the average person 678 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:29,920 Speaker 1: from doing that. And from from everything I've read, it 679 00:42:30,040 --> 00:42:33,360 Speaker 1: is really easy to overlook how difficult it can be 680 00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:36,600 Speaker 1: to get an I D. For people who who already 681 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:38,440 Speaker 1: have an idea and use them every day and have 682 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:41,000 Speaker 1: probably had one ever since their parents took them to 683 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:42,680 Speaker 1: the d m V when they were sixteen to get 684 00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: their first driver's license, it's really easy to act like 685 00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:48,640 Speaker 1: it's not a big thing to get an I D. 686 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:53,280 Speaker 1: When in reality, the the poorer, the more disabled um 687 00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:57,040 Speaker 1: and and the more minority you are, the harder it 688 00:42:57,080 --> 00:43:02,160 Speaker 1: actually is. There was a study ineen by Rice University, 689 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:04,759 Speaker 1: and not to pick on Texas, but this, you know, 690 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:07,720 Speaker 1: it's Rice University. I think Texas brought this on themselves 691 00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:12,200 Speaker 1: at the University of Houston UH, Texas is twenty three 692 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:17,200 Speaker 1: congressional district found that twelve point eight percent of registered 693 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 1: voters who didn't vote cited lack of required photo I D. 694 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:25,440 Speaker 1: So almost didn't vote, and they said this because I 695 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,919 Speaker 1: don't I don't have the proper identification. And only three 696 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:32,359 Speaker 1: two point seven percent of those people actually didn't have 697 00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:35,920 Speaker 1: the right identification, So a full ten percent had the 698 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:38,839 Speaker 1: right I D and didn't vote because they didn't think 699 00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:41,600 Speaker 1: they did, which and you know what, we'll take a 700 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:43,880 Speaker 1: break and talk about it after this. But the reason 701 00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:48,040 Speaker 1: that's not happening is because of things like billboards and 702 00:43:48,120 --> 00:43:52,319 Speaker 1: poll watchers and other intimidation techniques. So we'll talk about 703 00:43:52,320 --> 00:44:16,080 Speaker 1: that right after this. A SKS puffy shouldn't all right, 704 00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:17,960 Speaker 1: So I set that up with the study from Rice 705 00:44:18,080 --> 00:44:22,200 Speaker 1: University cent in the twenty three congressional district in Texas 706 00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:24,080 Speaker 1: did not vote because they didn't think they had their 707 00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:26,680 Speaker 1: right I D even though ten percent of that thirteen 708 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:29,360 Speaker 1: percent did have the right I D and just didn't 709 00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:33,719 Speaker 1: vote because they were I don't know, misinformed by a 710 00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:38,560 Speaker 1: billboard and scared to go to a polling place. Yeah, 711 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:42,160 Speaker 1: has that ever happened? Sure, it's happened. There's been plenty 712 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:46,040 Speaker 1: of billboards that have like UM prison bars or something 713 00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:48,360 Speaker 1: on them. It says like voter fraud as a felony. 714 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:52,839 Speaker 1: And apparently these billboards that are sponsored by dark money 715 00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:56,800 Speaker 1: groups that have no direct ties to say like the 716 00:44:56,880 --> 00:45:00,799 Speaker 1: GOP or the campaigns of a candidate. UM are they 717 00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:04,440 Speaker 1: sprout up. They tend to sprout up in UM poor neighborhoods, 718 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:08,080 Speaker 1: minority neighborhoods, UM neighborhoods that are more likely to be 719 00:45:08,200 --> 00:45:11,440 Speaker 1: intimidated by billboards like that, rather than just laugh at 720 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:15,400 Speaker 1: them and flip them off. UM. Well, it's apparently the 721 00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:17,400 Speaker 1: jury is out on whether they have an effect or not, 722 00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:22,160 Speaker 1: but it is and it's intended to be voter intimidation. Yeah. 723 00:45:22,239 --> 00:45:26,359 Speaker 1: They use threatening language. Uh, like you said, like someone 724 00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:29,279 Speaker 1: behind bars and all of a sudden, let's say you're 725 00:45:29,719 --> 00:45:34,960 Speaker 1: a newly naturalized citizen, or you are a felon that's 726 00:45:35,040 --> 00:45:38,800 Speaker 1: now out and cleared your parole and everything, and you 727 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:40,680 Speaker 1: see those bars and you're like, well, I'm not gonna 728 00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:43,279 Speaker 1: take a chance and going to vote because I might 729 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:47,799 Speaker 1: be locked up. And again the disingenuous argument number eight 730 00:45:47,880 --> 00:45:51,960 Speaker 1: thousand ninety two is well, if you're not a criminal, 731 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:55,600 Speaker 1: you've got nothing to worry about, which just completely disregards 732 00:45:55,719 --> 00:45:59,080 Speaker 1: the psychological impact that something like bars and crime and 733 00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:03,360 Speaker 1: fellon have on a person seeing a billboard that's shouting 734 00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:06,200 Speaker 1: that at them. Uh, if you actually are you know, 735 00:46:07,120 --> 00:46:09,239 Speaker 1: fight your way through that and say, you know what, 736 00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:12,440 Speaker 1: I'm gonna vote anyway. I'm not scared of the billboard. 737 00:46:12,880 --> 00:46:15,200 Speaker 1: And you might show up to your polling place to 738 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:19,200 Speaker 1: find what's known as a poll watcher, who are there 739 00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:24,439 Speaker 1: to scout out uh, potential voter fraud. Uh what has 740 00:46:25,080 --> 00:46:30,320 Speaker 1: generally in many cases amounted to intimidation squads kind of 741 00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:32,920 Speaker 1: right there at the front door. Yeah. Do you remember, um, 742 00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:35,719 Speaker 1: I said that the RNC got in a lot of 743 00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:38,879 Speaker 1: trouble for the election for a bunch of stuff. Yeah, 744 00:46:38,920 --> 00:46:41,040 Speaker 1: this is another one one of the things that they 745 00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:45,400 Speaker 1: had in this night. One I believe. New Jersey election 746 00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:49,719 Speaker 1: was called the National Ballot Security Task Force, and it 747 00:46:49,880 --> 00:46:54,840 Speaker 1: was basically off duty cops wearing guns, wearing blue arm bands, 748 00:46:55,200 --> 00:47:02,480 Speaker 1: patrolling polling stations who were basically ostensibly looking for voter fraud. 749 00:47:03,080 --> 00:47:07,000 Speaker 1: But they the court sided with the d n c's 750 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:10,680 Speaker 1: contention that they were meant to intimidate voters who were 751 00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:14,440 Speaker 1: likely to vote for Democrats just because they were there 752 00:47:14,480 --> 00:47:17,840 Speaker 1: with guns. Yeah, Like, you don't want some dude just 753 00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:20,719 Speaker 1: walking around like looking at you, watching you, you know, 754 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:23,279 Speaker 1: what are you doing here? Kind of thing? Like, No, 755 00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:26,800 Speaker 1: that's not it's not what. The polling station doesn't belong 756 00:47:26,920 --> 00:47:30,200 Speaker 1: to one group. It belongs to everybody, and no one 757 00:47:30,239 --> 00:47:32,800 Speaker 1: should be made to feel like they're a threat or 758 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:37,080 Speaker 1: they are not welcome at this polling station. It's not 759 00:47:37,239 --> 00:47:40,319 Speaker 1: that guy's polling station doesn't have any right to walk 760 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:43,000 Speaker 1: up and down with the gun intimidating people. What a 761 00:47:43,080 --> 00:47:46,279 Speaker 1: despicable thing to do with your time. Yeah, I mean, 762 00:47:46,560 --> 00:47:50,280 Speaker 1: how about this. The U the Conservative group True the Vote, 763 00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:54,399 Speaker 1: their national elections coordinator was he was, you know, talking 764 00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:57,239 Speaker 1: about poll watchers. He said that he wanted voters to 765 00:47:57,560 --> 00:48:00,720 Speaker 1: quote feel like they are driving and seeing the police 766 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:04,120 Speaker 1: following them. Yes, that's not It's not how you're supposed 767 00:48:04,160 --> 00:48:07,120 Speaker 1: to feel when you go vote at the polling presect 768 00:48:07,200 --> 00:48:12,160 Speaker 1: that's at Yeah, he wanted them to feel scared. And 769 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:14,719 Speaker 1: that was one that was from the two thousand and 770 00:48:14,760 --> 00:48:23,520 Speaker 1: sixteen election. So, um, it's not. It hasn't just been say, 771 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:27,840 Speaker 1: GOP leaning voters who have done pole watching there. But 772 00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:30,080 Speaker 1: there was a very famous case in the two thousand 773 00:48:30,120 --> 00:48:33,800 Speaker 1: and eight election in Philadelphia where the new Black Panther 774 00:48:33,920 --> 00:48:36,320 Speaker 1: Party for Self Defense, which, as we pointed out in 775 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:39,560 Speaker 1: our Black Panther episode, is not affiliated with the Black Panthers. 776 00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:42,160 Speaker 1: They're kind of like this new offshoot group that that 777 00:48:42,320 --> 00:48:46,240 Speaker 1: took over the name. Um. I think they were arrested 778 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:50,440 Speaker 1: for voter intimidation for basically doing the same thing but 779 00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:55,359 Speaker 1: with the police baton rather than say a gun. Um. Yeah, 780 00:48:55,560 --> 00:48:57,480 Speaker 1: I don't care who you are, what side you're on, 781 00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:01,719 Speaker 1: don't intimidate voters at the polls. I don't know if 782 00:49:01,760 --> 00:49:04,719 Speaker 1: I could if I said that clearly enough. Yet that's 783 00:49:04,760 --> 00:49:08,600 Speaker 1: a disgusting thing to do. Josh is gonna come after you? Yeah, 784 00:49:08,680 --> 00:49:14,640 Speaker 1: I'm watching you. Uh. Early voting is um is one 785 00:49:14,719 --> 00:49:18,960 Speaker 1: thing that that you say and you're writing here that 786 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:22,760 Speaker 1: I agree with that, Like, who could argue with early 787 00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:26,279 Speaker 1: voting because it works. People love it, voters like it, 788 00:49:27,040 --> 00:49:31,360 Speaker 1: elected officials like it. It's been a really big success 789 00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:33,480 Speaker 1: in the states that that do it, like a lot 790 00:49:33,560 --> 00:49:37,000 Speaker 1: of almost a third of this past election people early 791 00:49:37,080 --> 00:49:41,040 Speaker 1: voted me included, right. UM, So like everyone should love this, 792 00:49:41,239 --> 00:49:45,040 Speaker 1: right sure, yeah, And it really really works. It gets 793 00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:47,960 Speaker 1: voter participation up. And like you said, the lines are 794 00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:52,120 Speaker 1: not long. There's not like long waits on election day. UM. 795 00:49:52,760 --> 00:49:56,880 Speaker 1: And Yet despite that, despite everybody basically loving early voting, 796 00:49:57,239 --> 00:50:01,080 Speaker 1: there have been cutbacks since UM two thousand eleven in 797 00:50:01,320 --> 00:50:05,080 Speaker 1: eight states. Rather than this decades long trend which had 798 00:50:05,160 --> 00:50:08,200 Speaker 1: been leading up to you know, the I think two 799 00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:11,319 Speaker 1: thousand eight election, which is when it really came on. UM, 800 00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:15,439 Speaker 1: there's been cutbacks rather than continuing forward with getting early 801 00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:20,080 Speaker 1: voting out there. UM. And these eight states UM are 802 00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:26,800 Speaker 1: except for West Virginia, GOP governored states. UM. And the 803 00:50:26,920 --> 00:50:31,120 Speaker 1: reason why people who are critics of these laws UM 804 00:50:31,480 --> 00:50:34,080 Speaker 1: or changes to the rules point out the reason why 805 00:50:34,160 --> 00:50:36,160 Speaker 1: that these are being done is because in the two 806 00:50:36,239 --> 00:50:40,560 Speaker 1: thousand eight election, this early voting was used by far 807 00:50:40,640 --> 00:50:43,759 Speaker 1: and away more by African American voters who voted for 808 00:50:43,880 --> 00:50:49,479 Speaker 1: Obama and the Democrats than white voters and specifically white 809 00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:54,560 Speaker 1: GOP voters. Right, something like se of early of African 810 00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:59,360 Speaker 1: Americans in the two thousand eight election voted early compared 811 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:01,359 Speaker 1: to like fifty percent of white voters in the two 812 00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:03,760 Speaker 1: thousand and eight election. I'm not sure what the breakdown 813 00:51:03,880 --> 00:51:07,320 Speaker 1: was for Democrat to GOP, but I'm quite sure it 814 00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:10,920 Speaker 1: was lopsided in favor of the Democrats. And that right, 815 00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:14,080 Speaker 1: So that happened, and then all of a sudden, the 816 00:51:14,360 --> 00:51:17,200 Speaker 1: midterm elections of two thousand ten were just a blood 817 00:51:17,280 --> 00:51:22,320 Speaker 1: bath for the Democrats and swept gop UM governors and 818 00:51:22,440 --> 00:51:26,760 Speaker 1: legislatures into power. And as a result, UM early voting 819 00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:31,000 Speaker 1: was cut back under new laws that were introduced in 820 00:51:31,080 --> 00:51:33,880 Speaker 1: these new sessions. Yeah, and Sunday voting was a big 821 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:38,200 Speaker 1: deal to UM. Historic Black churches have had a big 822 00:51:39,280 --> 00:51:43,080 Speaker 1: a great success story and organizing. Uh this campaign called 823 00:51:43,200 --> 00:51:45,600 Speaker 1: Souls to the Polls where they would get their church 824 00:51:45,680 --> 00:51:48,440 Speaker 1: members to the polling stations on Sundays to vote. It's 825 00:51:48,480 --> 00:51:51,960 Speaker 1: been a big success. And so what happens when there's 826 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:55,560 Speaker 1: a big success for a minority group organizing and getting registered. 827 00:51:55,640 --> 00:51:59,439 Speaker 1: As states pushed back. Ohio and Florida specifically banned voting 828 00:51:59,480 --> 00:52:03,719 Speaker 1: on Sunday, Uh, the Sunday before the election. Sorry, uh, 829 00:52:03,800 --> 00:52:07,200 Speaker 1: not just any Sunday. Uh. And that's when these the 830 00:52:07,280 --> 00:52:09,440 Speaker 1: black churches had organized to vote for the souls to 831 00:52:09,480 --> 00:52:12,200 Speaker 1: the polls campaign. Uh. And it made a big deal. Um. 832 00:52:12,360 --> 00:52:16,920 Speaker 1: And more than eighteen percent of Floridians who voted on 833 00:52:16,960 --> 00:52:19,640 Speaker 1: the last Sunday of early voting in two thousand eight 834 00:52:20,320 --> 00:52:23,120 Speaker 1: uh did not vote at all in two thousand twelve 835 00:52:23,280 --> 00:52:26,759 Speaker 1: because well maybe not just because they weren't allowed to vote, 836 00:52:26,800 --> 00:52:29,239 Speaker 1: but that was that right was taken away from them, 837 00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:33,040 Speaker 1: And so eighteen percent didn't vote in So you do 838 00:52:33,160 --> 00:52:36,560 Speaker 1: the math, yeah, yeah, And I mean that's that's a 839 00:52:36,800 --> 00:52:41,040 Speaker 1: significant amount of voters in Florida alone. And again it's 840 00:52:41,080 --> 00:52:45,839 Speaker 1: it's targeted like that. They do the research and they 841 00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:49,319 Speaker 1: find out the data on where these votes coming from, 842 00:52:49,840 --> 00:52:53,320 Speaker 1: when are they being cast, who is casting them? And 843 00:52:53,680 --> 00:52:58,279 Speaker 1: now let's put in as many laws, let's been the 844 00:52:58,360 --> 00:53:01,759 Speaker 1: law however we can to try and keep those people 845 00:53:01,840 --> 00:53:06,200 Speaker 1: from voting. Yeah, Like there have been there was who 846 00:53:06,239 --> 00:53:08,800 Speaker 1: was a guy, there was a legislator in Pennsylvania that 847 00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:12,279 Speaker 1: was that bragged during the Romney election, like, hey, our 848 00:53:12,360 --> 00:53:15,960 Speaker 1: voter suppression techniques are going to give this to Romney. Right, 849 00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:22,800 Speaker 1: there's a legislator. Yeah that's true. So um, you know 850 00:53:22,880 --> 00:53:25,719 Speaker 1: it's funny to some people listening right now, we sound paranoid. 851 00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:32,239 Speaker 1: So early voting is suppressed, and as a result, it 852 00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:35,480 Speaker 1: can it can lead to voter suppression as well. Right, 853 00:53:35,920 --> 00:53:38,960 Speaker 1: you've you've also got UM voter registration. We already talked 854 00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:44,920 Speaker 1: about acorn registering people, but typically UM voter registration drives, 855 00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:49,160 Speaker 1: like the soul of the polls campaign UM have an 856 00:53:49,239 --> 00:53:55,360 Speaker 1: effect on Democrats votes, so curtailing those can lead to 857 00:53:56,320 --> 00:53:59,600 Speaker 1: UM can lead to a suppression of votes for among 858 00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:04,040 Speaker 1: Democratic voters. Right, Yes, and we've been picking on the 859 00:54:04,120 --> 00:54:07,000 Speaker 1: GOP basically this whole time. Dude. I went all over 860 00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:11,640 Speaker 1: looking for instances of Democrats doing robo calls and using 861 00:54:11,680 --> 00:54:16,680 Speaker 1: intimidating billboards UM, and I didn't find it. They're just 862 00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:20,840 Speaker 1: not out there. If they specifically robo calls Senate, deliver 863 00:54:20,960 --> 00:54:27,279 Speaker 1: misinformation right or send out deliberately misinforming flyers UM or 864 00:54:27,800 --> 00:54:32,000 Speaker 1: supporting laws that and early voting, I didn't find it anywhere. 865 00:54:32,120 --> 00:54:34,200 Speaker 1: This all seems to be at least in this current 866 00:54:34,280 --> 00:54:39,120 Speaker 1: incarnation GOP lead wave of voter suppression laws. Right, there 867 00:54:39,360 --> 00:54:44,279 Speaker 1: is one type of voter suppression that Democrats do favor though, 868 00:54:45,120 --> 00:54:47,719 Speaker 1: basically across the board and around the country, and it's 869 00:54:47,800 --> 00:54:52,680 Speaker 1: called off cycle, off cycle election scheduling. Yeah, that's when, Um, 870 00:54:53,040 --> 00:54:55,520 Speaker 1: if you may notice that they'll they'll be an election 871 00:54:55,760 --> 00:54:59,040 Speaker 1: and you're like, what, there's an election coming up, Well, 872 00:54:59,080 --> 00:55:01,279 Speaker 1: why haven't I heard any about it? It's because it 873 00:55:01,360 --> 00:55:04,920 Speaker 1: might be for the city council or the local you know, 874 00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:10,319 Speaker 1: it's it's very much local, locally based, and Democrats, Um, 875 00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:15,759 Speaker 1: they know that those are not very heavily voted. You know, 876 00:55:15,840 --> 00:55:18,440 Speaker 1: it's very low voter turnout for that. So if it's 877 00:55:18,480 --> 00:55:21,719 Speaker 1: a referendum on like something that has to deal with 878 00:55:21,840 --> 00:55:25,359 Speaker 1: the teachers or specific union or something, they know about 879 00:55:25,400 --> 00:55:27,040 Speaker 1: it and they're really going to turn out to vote 880 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:31,200 Speaker 1: and basically have that one in the bag. Right, And 881 00:55:31,520 --> 00:55:35,040 Speaker 1: and teachers unions and city workers unions and basically any 882 00:55:35,160 --> 00:55:39,839 Speaker 1: unions typically are democratic leaning, right Democrat leaning, So um, 883 00:55:40,520 --> 00:55:44,880 Speaker 1: through this off cycle election scheduling, by cutting down on 884 00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:49,440 Speaker 1: voter participation, they're increasing the impact that these Democrat leaning 885 00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:52,960 Speaker 1: groups have on that vote, right, Well, yeah, because everyone 886 00:55:53,040 --> 00:55:57,760 Speaker 1: wants a consolidated elections like you pull people, you pull people, 887 00:55:59,160 --> 00:56:01,279 Speaker 1: and like every will say, you know it kind of 888 00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:04,359 Speaker 1: really rather justus vote on everything all at once. Right. 889 00:56:04,600 --> 00:56:09,680 Speaker 1: But um, this, this idea of controlling local elections, especially 890 00:56:10,320 --> 00:56:16,360 Speaker 1: local school boards, UM leads to accusations of controlling developing 891 00:56:16,440 --> 00:56:20,040 Speaker 1: minds of America's children. There, so Republicans have taken notice 892 00:56:20,080 --> 00:56:23,400 Speaker 1: of the strategy and UM this this is from this 893 00:56:23,760 --> 00:56:28,560 Speaker 1: great article from Eaton Hirsch from five thirty eight, and 894 00:56:28,760 --> 00:56:33,120 Speaker 1: he talks about a political scientist named Sarah Anzia who UM, 895 00:56:33,560 --> 00:56:37,160 Speaker 1: who was studying this, and she found that between two 896 00:56:37,200 --> 00:56:41,040 Speaker 1: thousand one and two thousand eleven, UH, over two hundred 897 00:56:41,160 --> 00:56:44,600 Speaker 1: bills aimed at consolidating elections getting rid of off cycle 898 00:56:44,680 --> 00:56:49,440 Speaker 1: elections UM were floated across the country. Half of them 899 00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:54,000 Speaker 1: specifically on focused on moving school board election dates, but 900 00:56:54,160 --> 00:56:56,759 Speaker 1: only twenty five became law. Most of the time the 901 00:56:56,800 --> 00:57:01,480 Speaker 1: bills were sponsored by Republicans and killed by Democrats Democratic pushes. 902 00:57:02,800 --> 00:57:06,279 Speaker 1: So there is definitely voter suppression techniques. And apparently the 903 00:57:06,480 --> 00:57:09,160 Speaker 1: Democrats will say, well, you know what, people who aren't 904 00:57:09,200 --> 00:57:12,719 Speaker 1: that informed, uh aren't going to turn out for these 905 00:57:12,800 --> 00:57:16,320 Speaker 1: off cycle elections anyway, that's good. And people say, wait 906 00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:18,560 Speaker 1: a bit, Wait a minute, that's the same criticism for 907 00:57:18,680 --> 00:57:22,360 Speaker 1: the same justification that the GOP uses to justify their 908 00:57:22,400 --> 00:57:25,440 Speaker 1: voter suppression techniques, and you're using it for yourself. So 909 00:57:26,360 --> 00:57:29,080 Speaker 1: you know that really sucks when people do that. Yeah, 910 00:57:29,480 --> 00:57:35,320 Speaker 1: what is that called hypocrisy? I think that's the word. Uh. 911 00:57:35,920 --> 00:57:38,280 Speaker 1: So you know this, this is all still happening. Um. 912 00:57:38,680 --> 00:57:40,320 Speaker 1: I mean a lot of these examples are kind of 913 00:57:41,080 --> 00:57:44,400 Speaker 1: throughout history. Um, but this is still going on, and 914 00:57:44,600 --> 00:57:49,080 Speaker 1: especially after the two thousand election, uh and this most 915 00:57:49,200 --> 00:57:52,680 Speaker 1: recent one. It's it's pretty clear that like a few 916 00:57:53,520 --> 00:57:57,720 Speaker 1: thousand votes can swing and swinging election, and so this 917 00:57:57,800 --> 00:58:02,959 Speaker 1: stuff matters. Yeah, to fight it and whoever is trying 918 00:58:03,000 --> 00:58:07,320 Speaker 1: to suppress votes, it can make a difference, right, and 919 00:58:07,520 --> 00:58:11,400 Speaker 1: so specifically, um, well there's this one study that found 920 00:58:11,760 --> 00:58:15,760 Speaker 1: after that huge surge. So you remember after the fifteenth 921 00:58:15,800 --> 00:58:20,760 Speaker 1: Amendment was passed, where um, I remember, so the the 922 00:58:21,960 --> 00:58:24,840 Speaker 1: the black population of men at least suddenly had the 923 00:58:24,960 --> 00:58:28,040 Speaker 1: right to vote. It threatened the status quo. So the 924 00:58:28,160 --> 00:58:32,520 Speaker 1: status quo the establishment went to come up with new 925 00:58:32,640 --> 00:58:37,040 Speaker 1: loopholes and issues to to to to make barriers to voting. 926 00:58:37,240 --> 00:58:40,720 Speaker 1: Right after the two thousand and eight election, there was 927 00:58:40,760 --> 00:58:44,280 Speaker 1: a huge surge in African American voting threatened the status quo. 928 00:58:44,560 --> 00:58:47,920 Speaker 1: So the establishment came up with new loopholes right um 929 00:58:48,640 --> 00:58:51,000 Speaker 1: and the there was a study from the University of 930 00:58:51,080 --> 00:58:54,960 Speaker 1: Massachusetts should be totally disregarded because that's an elite academic 931 00:58:55,120 --> 00:58:59,360 Speaker 1: education and therefore liars um. But they did a study 932 00:58:59,800 --> 00:59:04,920 Speaker 1: the at um the more states saw increases of minority 933 00:59:05,000 --> 00:59:07,920 Speaker 1: and low income voter turnout, the more likely it was 934 00:59:08,520 --> 00:59:12,320 Speaker 1: to have laws floated that pushed back on voting rights, 935 00:59:12,480 --> 00:59:16,200 Speaker 1: that cut voting rights. During this two thousand thirteen study, 936 00:59:16,360 --> 00:59:20,720 Speaker 1: and apparently there's this wave of UM voter i D 937 00:59:20,880 --> 00:59:24,560 Speaker 1: laws specifically that just hit the country after the two 938 00:59:24,600 --> 00:59:28,320 Speaker 1: thousand ten elections, those two thousand ten blood bats um 939 00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:32,320 Speaker 1: there the country was suddenly just flooded with state and 940 00:59:32,480 --> 00:59:37,120 Speaker 1: local bills that sought to require voter I D right 941 00:59:37,200 --> 00:59:40,640 Speaker 1: And it came out of nowhere, seemingly. Somebody, this group 942 00:59:40,720 --> 00:59:44,200 Speaker 1: called News twenty ones like journalism Students, who did an 943 00:59:44,240 --> 00:59:48,840 Speaker 1: investigation under the auspices of the Carnegie Night Journalism Foundation. 944 00:59:49,440 --> 00:59:54,480 Speaker 1: They trace this back to ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Counsel, 945 00:59:54,680 --> 00:59:59,040 Speaker 1: and they deserve a podcast themselves for sure. But basically 946 00:59:59,120 --> 01:00:01,360 Speaker 1: they're a group that was founded I think back in 947 01:00:01,440 --> 01:00:06,280 Speaker 1: the seventies or eighties, UM, that brings together elected officials 948 01:00:06,360 --> 01:00:08,920 Speaker 1: in the United States who pay something like a hundred 949 01:00:08,920 --> 01:00:13,240 Speaker 1: dollars and dues every two years with corporations that pay 950 01:00:13,360 --> 01:00:16,920 Speaker 1: thousands and thousands of dollars and dues every year, and 951 01:00:17,000 --> 01:00:18,720 Speaker 1: they get them together and they say, hey, what do 952 01:00:18,800 --> 01:00:22,760 Speaker 1: you what do you need to make business easier for you? Oh? Well, um, 953 01:00:23,280 --> 01:00:26,440 Speaker 1: it would be great if we could get the Democrats 954 01:00:26,680 --> 01:00:29,600 Speaker 1: to not vote quite so easily. So let's come up 955 01:00:29,640 --> 01:00:32,080 Speaker 1: with some voter I D laws. They come together, they 956 01:00:32,440 --> 01:00:35,760 Speaker 1: draft model legislation, and then the ALEC members go back 957 01:00:35,880 --> 01:00:41,000 Speaker 1: to their various state legislatures or um national legislatures and say, hey, 958 01:00:41,320 --> 01:00:44,040 Speaker 1: I've got an idea. Here's a bill, let's pass it. 959 01:00:44,440 --> 01:00:47,960 Speaker 1: And so from this two thousand nine meeting in Atlanta, 960 01:00:48,000 --> 01:00:54,400 Speaker 1: actually UM a draft voter I D legislative model was 961 01:00:54,520 --> 01:00:57,680 Speaker 1: produced and it suddenly just appeared everywhere around the country 962 01:00:57,760 --> 01:01:01,880 Speaker 1: starting in about two thousand ten. So apparently that's what's 963 01:01:01,880 --> 01:01:05,320 Speaker 1: going on right now, that that's behind this current wave 964 01:01:05,440 --> 01:01:09,680 Speaker 1: of especially voter id laws, but also voters suppression laws 965 01:01:09,720 --> 01:01:12,440 Speaker 1: that are going on, Like the the history in this 966 01:01:12,560 --> 01:01:16,360 Speaker 1: country of voter suppression is pretty shameful, but it's even 967 01:01:16,440 --> 01:01:19,480 Speaker 1: more shameful that we're doing it again, it seems. Yeah. 968 01:01:19,840 --> 01:01:23,200 Speaker 1: North Carolina is a pretty good example of recent years. UM. 969 01:01:24,920 --> 01:01:28,320 Speaker 1: They there was a law that UM led by the 970 01:01:28,360 --> 01:01:31,720 Speaker 1: GOP that did a bunch of things that eliminated same 971 01:01:31,800 --> 01:01:35,720 Speaker 1: day voter registration UH, cut a full week of early 972 01:01:35,840 --> 01:01:39,720 Speaker 1: voting UH at barred voters from casting a ballot outside 973 01:01:39,760 --> 01:01:42,600 Speaker 1: their home precinct. Uh. They said you could no longer 974 01:01:42,840 --> 01:01:45,480 Speaker 1: straight ticket vote. UH. And then they got rid of 975 01:01:45,520 --> 01:01:49,160 Speaker 1: a program that would pre register high school students who 976 01:01:49,200 --> 01:01:54,040 Speaker 1: would be UH voting age by election day. High school 977 01:01:54,040 --> 01:01:56,800 Speaker 1: students that wanted to vote UH that would preregister them 978 01:01:56,840 --> 01:02:01,200 Speaker 1: said no, too dangerous. Yeah, so uh and had one 979 01:02:01,240 --> 01:02:04,960 Speaker 1: of the most strict voter I D requirements in the country. UH. 980 01:02:05,080 --> 01:02:07,160 Speaker 1: This one actually went to court and it was struck 981 01:02:07,280 --> 01:02:11,800 Speaker 1: down UH and the judge ruled that it quote UH, 982 01:02:12,280 --> 01:02:15,880 Speaker 1: I'm sorry that UM, the intention to suppress African American 983 01:02:16,000 --> 01:02:20,320 Speaker 1: voters was quote with almost surgical precision. UH. And the 984 01:02:20,360 --> 01:02:24,280 Speaker 1: court noted that lawmakers first studied which racial demographics use 985 01:02:24,400 --> 01:02:27,680 Speaker 1: which voting methods, then moved to eliminate those favored by 986 01:02:27,760 --> 01:02:31,120 Speaker 1: black residents. So like they actually found out they did 987 01:02:31,200 --> 01:02:33,720 Speaker 1: these studies and looked at the data and said, all right, 988 01:02:34,080 --> 01:02:36,080 Speaker 1: this is how black people are voting in North Carolina, 989 01:02:36,440 --> 01:02:39,040 Speaker 1: so let's let's try and make that much more difficult 990 01:02:39,080 --> 01:02:41,080 Speaker 1: for them to do. So. I think the judge that 991 01:02:41,320 --> 01:02:44,720 Speaker 1: overruled they're struck down that those that basket of laws 992 01:02:44,760 --> 01:02:47,320 Speaker 1: also said that it read like it was written in 993 01:02:48,120 --> 01:02:52,160 Speaker 1: one Yeah. So North Carolina got pantst in front of 994 01:02:52,200 --> 01:02:54,880 Speaker 1: everybody because I guess they were too aggressive. But plenty 995 01:02:55,080 --> 01:02:59,400 Speaker 1: plenty of other states or able to pass new laws 996 01:02:59,440 --> 01:03:04,640 Speaker 1: of very strictness. Um, as far as voting suppression goes. Uh, 997 01:03:05,480 --> 01:03:08,640 Speaker 1: since the since two thousand eleven, North Carolina just got 998 01:03:08,720 --> 01:03:12,960 Speaker 1: pants this week for the racial jerrymandering. Yeah, jerrymandering is 999 01:03:13,000 --> 01:03:17,080 Speaker 1: another episode we need to do to So. Um, what 1000 01:03:17,640 --> 01:03:19,439 Speaker 1: the whole thing comes down to, I think we said 1001 01:03:19,480 --> 01:03:23,680 Speaker 1: earlier to Chuck is with these laws, right, there's there's 1002 01:03:23,840 --> 01:03:27,480 Speaker 1: kind of a litmus test that's emerged. Are are the 1003 01:03:27,600 --> 01:03:30,600 Speaker 1: results of these laws more likely to be to to 1004 01:03:31,000 --> 01:03:38,360 Speaker 1: prevent voter fraud or to suppress votes. And ironically, it 1005 01:03:38,440 --> 01:03:41,400 Speaker 1: seems like it's going to be Donald Trump's commission that 1006 01:03:41,560 --> 01:03:45,360 Speaker 1: that could conceivably put an end to this debate with 1007 01:03:45,520 --> 01:03:49,600 Speaker 1: what they find with the with the voter fraud investigation, 1008 01:03:49,760 --> 01:03:53,800 Speaker 1: which seriously, I cannot tell you how interested I am 1009 01:03:53,880 --> 01:03:56,280 Speaker 1: in finding out what they find and hearing all the 1010 01:03:56,520 --> 01:03:59,520 Speaker 1: grizzly details from it. You think it will be on 1011 01:03:59,600 --> 01:04:03,320 Speaker 1: the on the up and up. I don't know, But 1012 01:04:04,360 --> 01:04:09,040 Speaker 1: I don't know. If it's not there, we'll hear all 1013 01:04:09,080 --> 01:04:13,520 Speaker 1: about it. I can tell you that, Yeah, I don't know, man, 1014 01:04:13,720 --> 01:04:16,000 Speaker 1: I'm just I'm very curious to see what they what 1015 01:04:16,120 --> 01:04:18,000 Speaker 1: they find, or even if it just falls away. I 1016 01:04:18,040 --> 01:04:20,640 Speaker 1: think the worst thing for this would be if it's 1017 01:04:20,720 --> 01:04:24,320 Speaker 1: just allowed to just just fall to the wayside, because 1018 01:04:24,360 --> 01:04:25,880 Speaker 1: I mean, if we can get it out in the 1019 01:04:26,000 --> 01:04:28,840 Speaker 1: open and discussed and investigated and all that kind of stuff, 1020 01:04:29,040 --> 01:04:31,880 Speaker 1: I mean, who knows, maybe they maybe they did. What 1021 01:04:32,040 --> 01:04:34,720 Speaker 1: if they legitimately found that massive voter frow was a 1022 01:04:34,840 --> 01:04:37,520 Speaker 1: huge problem, well then sure maybe we should have voter 1023 01:04:37,600 --> 01:04:40,280 Speaker 1: id laws. Who knows. But if they find that that's 1024 01:04:40,320 --> 01:04:42,880 Speaker 1: not the case, then we can say, all right, this 1025 01:04:43,080 --> 01:04:45,200 Speaker 1: law is going to suppress votes. There's no such thing 1026 01:04:45,280 --> 01:04:49,080 Speaker 1: as massive voter fraud, so this law should be struck down. 1027 01:04:49,520 --> 01:04:53,520 Speaker 1: Just let people vote. Yeah, you know, are like, who 1028 01:04:53,600 --> 01:04:56,760 Speaker 1: who is one person to say, you know that they're 1029 01:04:56,840 --> 01:05:00,680 Speaker 1: not as up on politics and they don't they don't 1030 01:05:00,680 --> 01:05:03,160 Speaker 1: really take the time, so they shouldn't be allowed to vote. 1031 01:05:03,160 --> 01:05:05,480 Speaker 1: I mean that is so anti American. You have to 1032 01:05:05,560 --> 01:05:07,840 Speaker 1: be an elitist to think like that. Like, that's an 1033 01:05:08,080 --> 01:05:12,400 Speaker 1: elitist thinking, we're regardless of what your party affiliation is. 1034 01:05:13,800 --> 01:05:19,240 Speaker 1: You got anything else? No, Well, this is probably the 1035 01:05:19,320 --> 01:05:21,560 Speaker 1: last one we'll ever be allowed to record. So it's 1036 01:05:21,600 --> 01:05:26,480 Speaker 1: been nice, Chuck, I've enjoyed working with you. Been nice, Jerry. Uh. 1037 01:05:26,640 --> 01:05:29,680 Speaker 1: If you want to know more about voter suppression laws, 1038 01:05:29,720 --> 01:05:31,480 Speaker 1: you can type those words in the search bar how 1039 01:05:31,560 --> 01:05:35,200 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Uh. And since I said voters suppression, 1040 01:05:35,240 --> 01:05:40,200 Speaker 1: it's time for a listener mail. Uh. Yeah. And you 1041 01:05:40,280 --> 01:05:43,280 Speaker 1: know what before I do listener mail for two listeners 1042 01:05:43,320 --> 01:05:46,520 Speaker 1: who are upset at us right now, like send us 1043 01:05:46,560 --> 01:05:52,520 Speaker 1: in a a thoughtful, researched email of refutation. You know 1044 01:05:53,840 --> 01:05:56,640 Speaker 1: that's what I want to see, Yeah, because I'd like 1045 01:05:56,720 --> 01:05:59,600 Speaker 1: to think, like, give me some proof of stuff. Yeah, 1046 01:06:01,200 --> 01:06:06,760 Speaker 1: all right, I'm gonna call this fan theory. Oh this 1047 01:06:06,880 --> 01:06:10,200 Speaker 1: is a good one that you picked out, Josh. I 1048 01:06:10,280 --> 01:06:12,400 Speaker 1: really enjoyed your show. Guys on the crazy fan theories, 1049 01:06:12,440 --> 01:06:14,240 Speaker 1: thought of share one and came up with a couple 1050 01:06:14,280 --> 01:06:17,480 Speaker 1: of years ago. It involves to kill a Mockingbird, go 1051 01:06:17,720 --> 01:06:22,320 Speaker 1: set a Watchman, which was the famous sequel to that book. Uh, 1052 01:06:22,560 --> 01:06:24,840 Speaker 1: and Back to the Future Part one, and Back to 1053 01:06:24,880 --> 01:06:27,440 Speaker 1: the Future Part two, which was the very famous sequel 1054 01:06:28,080 --> 01:06:32,760 Speaker 1: to Back to the Future Part one. Right, I added that, Uh, 1055 01:06:32,960 --> 01:06:35,000 Speaker 1: did you know that the courthouse steps in the movie 1056 01:06:35,040 --> 01:06:38,440 Speaker 1: adaptation of mocking Bird the very same as the courthouse 1057 01:06:39,240 --> 01:06:41,320 Speaker 1: in the Back to the Future movies. I did not 1058 01:06:41,480 --> 01:06:44,080 Speaker 1: know that, did you. Well? I didn't. I've been on 1059 01:06:44,160 --> 01:06:47,080 Speaker 1: the Universal Lot and walk those steps though, So I 1060 01:06:47,240 --> 01:06:48,919 Speaker 1: was just like, in my mind, I was thinking, well, 1061 01:06:49,120 --> 01:06:52,720 Speaker 1: it's just a movie lot, dude. So he says, aside 1062 01:06:52,760 --> 01:06:55,800 Speaker 1: for from it being on the Universal Lot, the reason 1063 01:06:56,000 --> 01:06:58,240 Speaker 1: for this has to be that both To Kill a 1064 01:06:58,280 --> 01:07:00,160 Speaker 1: Mockingbird and Back to the Future take place in the 1065 01:07:00,280 --> 01:07:04,680 Speaker 1: same town. Well that's not true, no, but still to 1066 01:07:04,760 --> 01:07:07,520 Speaker 1: kill with the chuck. To Kill a Mockingbird depicts the 1067 01:07:07,520 --> 01:07:10,200 Speaker 1: town in the nineteen thirties and the trial that exposes 1068 01:07:10,240 --> 01:07:12,920 Speaker 1: the deeply racist tendencies among its people. This is why 1069 01:07:12,960 --> 01:07:15,760 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty five it would have never occurred to 1070 01:07:15,880 --> 01:07:20,720 Speaker 1: a black malt shop worker. I believe Goldie is not 1071 01:07:20,920 --> 01:07:24,680 Speaker 1: right that he could one day become mayor until some 1072 01:07:24,800 --> 01:07:28,919 Speaker 1: guy from the future accidentally suggests it. This is falling 1073 01:07:28,960 --> 01:07:31,880 Speaker 1: apart from me already. I love this idea. And back 1074 01:07:31,920 --> 01:07:35,680 Speaker 1: to the future to Marty steals a sports almanac, from 1075 01:07:37,520 --> 01:07:41,240 Speaker 1: which winds up in Biff's hands in n creating an 1076 01:07:41,240 --> 01:07:44,480 Speaker 1: alternate timeline from that point forward. Some twenty years after 1077 01:07:44,600 --> 01:07:47,640 Speaker 1: To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout returns home and go set 1078 01:07:47,680 --> 01:07:52,840 Speaker 1: a Watchman. Uh, but it's set in the alternative timeline, 1079 01:07:53,160 --> 01:07:56,040 Speaker 1: which is why at least one character, Attica's Finch, seems 1080 01:07:56,160 --> 01:08:01,120 Speaker 1: very different, because any like racist in this sequel. Yeah, 1081 01:08:01,240 --> 01:08:04,560 Speaker 1: and it's Marty McFly's fault. Ghost At a Watchman was 1082 01:08:04,560 --> 01:08:07,920 Speaker 1: written in ninety seven. It is uh. The Tequila mocking 1083 01:08:07,960 --> 01:08:11,960 Speaker 1: Bird of the alternate timeline. To Kill a Mockingbird was 1084 01:08:12,000 --> 01:08:14,400 Speaker 1: published in nineteen sixty. Is the version of the book 1085 01:08:14,960 --> 01:08:17,479 Speaker 1: written in the timeline Marty fixes when he burns the 1086 01:08:17,479 --> 01:08:19,200 Speaker 1: almanac at the end of Back of the Future too. 1087 01:08:19,600 --> 01:08:22,760 Speaker 1: I'm completely lost on that one, and he says, how 1088 01:08:22,880 --> 01:08:27,280 Speaker 1: fitting that ghost at a Watchman was published and that 1089 01:08:27,760 --> 01:08:33,880 Speaker 1: bit of uh fan theoriousness is brought to you by 1090 01:08:34,000 --> 01:08:39,040 Speaker 1: Brian McBurney. Nice job, Brian. That was outstanding. It did 1091 01:08:39,160 --> 01:08:42,719 Speaker 1: have its poles. It was a little rough around the edges. 1092 01:08:42,840 --> 01:08:46,880 Speaker 1: But you're using your noodle and I like it. Yeah, 1093 01:08:47,000 --> 01:08:52,840 Speaker 1: that's better than Angela Lansbury is a serial killer. Uh 1094 01:08:53,160 --> 01:08:55,760 Speaker 1: you want again touch of us like Brian did and 1095 01:08:55,840 --> 01:08:58,080 Speaker 1: send us a really cool fan theory you thought of 1096 01:08:58,120 --> 01:09:01,240 Speaker 1: yourself that holds up. You can tweet to us at 1097 01:09:01,400 --> 01:09:04,360 Speaker 1: s Y s K podcast. I'm also at Josh Underscore, 1098 01:09:04,560 --> 01:09:07,439 Speaker 1: UM Underscore Clark. You can hang out with Chuck on 1099 01:09:07,520 --> 01:09:10,559 Speaker 1: Facebook at Facebook dot com slash Charles W. Chuck Bryant. 1100 01:09:10,880 --> 01:09:13,080 Speaker 1: You can also hang out with them at Facebook dot 1101 01:09:13,120 --> 01:09:15,280 Speaker 1: com slash Stuff you Should Know. You can send us 1102 01:09:15,360 --> 01:09:18,280 Speaker 1: both and Jerry and Noel and Frank the chair an 1103 01:09:18,320 --> 01:09:21,160 Speaker 1: email to stuff podcast at how Stuff Works dot com 1104 01:09:21,479 --> 01:09:23,200 Speaker 1: and has always join us our home on the web, 1105 01:09:23,560 --> 01:09:30,160 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know dot com for more on this 1106 01:09:30,360 --> 01:09:32,840 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Is it how Stuff Works 1107 01:09:32,880 --> 01:09:33,240 Speaker 1: dot com