1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a production of five 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Clark, and there's Charles W. Chuck Bryant, and 4 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: Jerry's out there somewhere wandering around. So if you see her, 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: bring her back. And this is Stuff you should know. 6 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: A rare top ten. Yeah, where we do all ten, 7 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: although I'm sure we'll end up combining something and it'll 8 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: be like eight or something weird like that. But we 9 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: just don't even really do these anymore. Oh, I see 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: what you mean. No, No, it's been a while. This 11 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: one's an important top ten too. This isn't like, you know, 12 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: ten biggest things ever moved or anything like that. Did 13 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: we do that? No, I don't think we ever did. 14 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: It's on How Stuff Works. Yeah, it is right, it's 15 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: a real thing. Yeah, or maybe like ten heaviest objects 16 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: ever moved or something. Maybe we'll do it someday. Uh. 17 00:00:57,520 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: This is from our old website that we used to 18 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: work for or though How Stuff Works, and uh this 19 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: is and we've done stuff on different ways to suppress 20 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: the vote and to rig the vote through jerrymandering and 21 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: such efforts like that. We well, we did one specifically 22 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: called our election laws designed to suppress voting, and that's 23 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: a good one to go listen to as well. It 24 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: is because it's very sad. But in the United States, UM, 25 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: suppressing the vote and keep trying to keep people and 26 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: certain people and certain demographics from voting is as old 27 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: as voting itself. Yeah, which is sad because everybody has 28 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: this impression that you know, and it's pure state in America. 29 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: If you want to vote, if you say this is 30 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: my my right and obligation and duty as a citizen, Um, 31 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,680 Speaker 1: you can go vote and it shouldn't be all that 32 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: hard and you just go and you vote, and your 33 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: vote is counted and maybe your person wins, maybe they don't, 34 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: but you voted, and there shouldn't be any barriers to that. 35 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: Voting is the way that a democracy functions. So the 36 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: most democratic way for the democracy to function is to 37 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: remove as many barriers as possible. Unfortunately, there are a 38 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: lot of barriers that are put up that do make 39 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 1: things harder for people to vote, which is what we're 40 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: talking about here. That's right, and they're not old barriers. 41 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: The Brennan Center for Justice, it's just a think tank 42 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: in New York and advocates for civil rights, especially around voting. 43 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 1: They said, since two thousand ten, states have passed new 44 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 1: laws making it more difficult for people to vote in 45 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: the United States of America. Yeah so, and we should 46 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: probably just come out and say, Unfortunately to our Republican listeners, 47 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: this is not one of those both sides do what 48 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,839 Speaker 1: kind of things. Um. This is largely Republican. The Republican 49 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: controlled UM states and municipalities that create laws and regulations 50 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: that do make it harder to vote. And the reason 51 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: why on paper is because it's it's to combat UM 52 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: voter fraud. The problem is this voter fraud has been 53 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: shown many, many, many times over by many different studies 54 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: by by groups from both sides of the political spectrum 55 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: that it doesn't I mean, it doesn't really exist. It 56 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,239 Speaker 1: exists in such minuscule amounts that it might as well 57 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: not exist. That same Brennan Center, Chuck, that you mentioned 58 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: a second ago, they're big time into into voting. They 59 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: they did a study and they saw that between nine 60 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: ten thousands of a percent to four one hundred thousands 61 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: of a percent, that's how the rate of overall voting 62 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: fraud in the United States and if you're like Brendan Center, all, 63 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: but that's liberal. Um. There was actually an exhaustive inquiry 64 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: investigation launched in two thousand two by John Ashcroft, who 65 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: is Bush Junior's Attorney General. If you'll remember heck of 66 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: a heck of a singer. Remember when he sang about 67 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: the eagle flying high. Yeah, man, I remember that he 68 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 1: was annointing feet with oils. Yeah. So Sacroft his Justice 69 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: Department launched a really thorough investigation into voter fraud in 70 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: the United States, and out of examining hundreds of millions 71 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: of ballots between I think, um, oh, I don't remember 72 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: what years they looked at it over, they managed to 73 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: bring charges on only one people and only eight six 74 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: of those were convicted. Um. So there's there's really no 75 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: evidence that voter fraud exists. And yet these solutions to 76 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 1: voting fraud voter fraud, which are obstacles and barriers to voting, 77 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 1: are still established. They're still supported. Even though people are 78 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 1: like voting fraud doesn't exist, they say, well, we still 79 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 1: have to protect against it anyway, so we're gonna make 80 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: voting harder. Um. And that's kind of the big problem 81 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: that we're dealing with right now, with with this thing. 82 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: And this is why a lot of people point to 83 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: this and say this is voter suppression. That's right. And 84 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: in fact, even in our most recent election, if I 85 00:04:54,560 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: remember correctly, uh, Donald Trump launched an investigative body to 86 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: look into the because he lost a popular vote by 87 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,119 Speaker 1: roughly three million votes and he said that there were 88 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: at least three million illegal votes cast That's why I 89 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: lost that vote? Didn't he form a body to investigate that? 90 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: That just sort of quietly went away without any findings. 91 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: It did. There were like there were some findings, but 92 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: they were you know, and there was a report and 93 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: it was actually kind of a scandalous report that said 94 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: there's voter fraud everywhere. And then people said, well, can 95 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 1: you show us your your work and they said no, 96 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:33,360 Speaker 1: and that's when it kind of faded off into nothing. Um. 97 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: So yeah, so there's like we're showing, like it's been shown, 98 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: voter fraud like basically doesn't exist. And yes, any instance 99 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:44,159 Speaker 1: of voter fraud, especially purposeful voter fraud meant to to 100 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: affect the outcome of an election. Throw that person in jail, 101 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: like take away they're right to vote. Forever. And um, 102 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: maybe speke m on the bottom too, like this is 103 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: not it's not a good thing. No one's saying like 104 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 1: who cares about voter fraud? What people are saying is 105 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: that voter fraud virtually doesn't exist. So to institute all 106 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: these draconian measures that make it harder for people to 107 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: vote and seemingly weirdly make it harder for certain groups 108 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: of people like minorities and poor people to vote, Um, 109 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: that's that's a problem because number one, it's a solution 110 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: to a problem that doesn't exist. The number two, again, 111 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:21,600 Speaker 1: it seems to be voter suppression. And all other people 112 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: would say, well, why why would why would the GOP 113 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: care if if if um, like, why would they do 114 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 1: this then? And apparently if you look at elections in general, Um, 115 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: the Republican Party tends to be favored when fewer people 116 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 1: turn out, when a lot of when there's a large electorate, 117 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: that usually tends to favor the Democrats. When not that 118 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: many people turn out to vote, the people who turn 119 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,359 Speaker 1: out to vote usually tend to be Republicans. So a 120 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: lot of people point to the Republican controlled cities and 121 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: states around the country and say, um, I think you're 122 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: doing this to win, and which makes it cheating. And 123 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: you're cheating by taking away people's ability to vote or 124 00:06:57,279 --> 00:06:59,720 Speaker 1: making it hard enough that they just give up and 125 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: don't vote. That's right. So, uh, a lot of this 126 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: is gonna be historical as well. And I guess we 127 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: should start with number ten, which is poll taxes. And 128 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: early on, when voting kind of was in its uh 129 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: early stages, they thought, you know, I'm a really easy 130 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: way to keep people from voting is to have them 131 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 1: pay a tax to have to vote. And it doesn't 132 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: have to be exorbitant, but maybe just high enough to 133 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: where most of the people that we don't want to 134 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: vote can't afford it. Most of the Confederate former Confederacy 135 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: UM had these poll taxes. A lot of this stuff 136 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: was in the South historically. Unfortunately, Virginia charged about a 137 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: buck fifty a year, which was about eleven bucks in 138 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: today's dollars, so that's not a lot of money, but 139 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 1: it had to be paid in cash. And back then, 140 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: if you were a sharecropper or if you were a 141 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 1: small uh farmer with a small farm, you bought most 142 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: of your stuff on credit and you didn't have a 143 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: lot of cash line around. You might have had two 144 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: or three dollars at any given point, right, and you 145 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: hit it on the head when you said. A lot 146 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: of this happened or started out. A lot of voter 147 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: suppression tactics started out in the South, um during reconstruction, 148 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 1: because all of a sudden there were a lot of 149 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: black people who suddenly had the right to vote in 150 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: the white dominated South, and so the the white establishment 151 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: was at threat of being undermined or replaced by black people, 152 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 1: where people who were friendly to black interests, and they 153 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: didn't want that, so um, they started instituting things like 154 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: poll tax, but they had to do it in ways 155 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: where it appeared, um, like it applied to everybody. So 156 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: a poll tax applied to everybody. But then they would 157 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: institute things like grandfather clauses, which literally said, with poll taxes, um, 158 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 1: if your grandfather was able to vote before the Civil War, 159 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: your exempt. Well, black people didn't really have the right 160 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:54,079 Speaker 1: to vote, especially in the South before the Civil War, 161 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 1: so it's impossible that their grandfather would have had that right. 162 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 1: With white people who might have been poor but could 163 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: and afford to pay the poll tax, but we're probably 164 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 1: going to vote in favor with wide interests in the 165 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: South during that election, they would be exempted because their 166 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,439 Speaker 1: grandfather could vote before the Civil War, and that's how 167 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: that was done. Yeah. And in other Southern states, Um, 168 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: they had cumulative taxes on top of just being taxed. 169 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: You had to do this several years in a row 170 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: in order to earn that right to vote. So all 171 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 1: of these things, um. You know. Of course, this was 172 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: eventually rendered illegal in nineteen sixty four with the ratification 173 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: of the twenty fourth Amendment. They said, you can't do 174 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: poll taxes anymore. After a hundred years, we've determined it's 175 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,319 Speaker 1: not fair. Yeah, And it took a couple of years too, 176 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: So all the way up until nineteen sixty six, dude, 177 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: there were four states that still had laws on the 178 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 1: books that had to be struck down in federal court 179 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 1: that poll taxes were okay. Yeah, which is crazy. Another 180 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: one that they did was literacy tests, um, which kind 181 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: of went hand in hand. Again, a lot of this 182 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,720 Speaker 1: stuff started out in the the Reek Instruction and then 183 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:07,199 Speaker 1: Jim Crow South. Um. And if you were black right 184 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: after the Civil War, there was a really good chance 185 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: that you couldn't read way more of a chance um 186 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: when compared to a white person. I'm not sure what 187 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: the percentages is, but there were laws on the books 188 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: that said it's illegal for you, as a white person 189 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: to teach your your the people that you have enslaved, 190 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: UM to read or write. It's illegal, like literacy among 191 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,680 Speaker 1: slaves is not is not legal and so UM. One 192 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: way to prevent those people who were now franchised after 193 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: the Civil War UM from voting would be to say, well, 194 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: you have to be literate to vote because and this 195 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: is sneaky, because if you're not literate, how can you 196 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,560 Speaker 1: possibly be an informed voter. You can't just come in 197 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: and say I want to vote for this person because 198 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: I like their name. You have to be informed, and 199 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 1: to be informed, you have to be literate. So we're 200 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 1: going to test your literacy before we let you vote. Right. 201 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: One good example is in South Carolina and the two 202 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,480 Speaker 1: where you couldn't even if you could manage to learn, 203 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 1: if you really wanted to vote, and you managed to 204 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:12,199 Speaker 1: learn to write down your name and and your your ballot, 205 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: they said, no, you got to write down a ballot 206 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:16,199 Speaker 1: for each office. If you want to vote for governor 207 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: and senator and anything else, then you have to to 208 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: to be able to write down all of those and 209 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,440 Speaker 1: put it in the correct box. This labeled that you 210 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: probably can't read. And we're going to shuffle these boxes 211 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: around too. So even if you have someone that wants 212 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 1: to help you cast that vote, that's not going to 213 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: be allowed to happen either. Um. And you know, forget 214 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: the fact that people are have learning disabilities and sometimes 215 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,080 Speaker 1: have legitimate problems learning how to read, even if they 216 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,480 Speaker 1: want to learn how to read. It's like saying that 217 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 1: you can't vote if you if you don't have arms 218 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 1: to cast to cast a ballot. It's just it's outrageous. 219 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 1: And uh, it gets even more outrageous if you go 220 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:02,200 Speaker 1: to Louisiana, where they had literal brain teasers that you 221 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: had to be able to figure out in order to vote. 222 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: And this one, I I I'm sure if I sat 223 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: down long enough, I could figure it out. But not 224 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 1: when I'm probably nervous about casting my first vote as 225 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: a former enslaved person. Right. So, so this one in particular, 226 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: and this one was instituted as more and more black 227 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 1: people learned to read. Um. Which, so just buckle up 228 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: for this one, right, every other word in this first 229 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: line and print every third word in the same line, 230 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:35,200 Speaker 1: but capitalized the fifth word. That you right, So you 231 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 1: could conceivably, especially as a literate person, figure this out. 232 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 1: It would take you a little while, but say that 233 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:45,440 Speaker 1: you went and you so you wrote all this stuff, 234 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:46,959 Speaker 1: and then you got to the last part where it 235 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:48,960 Speaker 1: said capitalized the fifth word. Then you went back and 236 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 1: scratched out the small case whatever that fifth word was 237 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: and capitalize that one, or maybe you capitalize all the 238 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: words and you had to go back and put them 239 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:03,120 Speaker 1: in lower case. The Act that these tests were administered 240 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: by white poll workers and that they were typically subjective, 241 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 1: meaning that if that poll worker decided you failed, you failed. 242 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:14,520 Speaker 1: When you went back and scratched that out and made, 243 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 1: you know, capitalize that fifth word, there was probably a 244 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: hundred percent chance that that white poll worker, who didn't 245 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 1: want you voting in the first place, was going to 246 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: just say, sorry, you failed, you can't vote. Yeah, and 247 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: you think, well, sure, but this was the eighteen hundreds. No, No, 248 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:32,680 Speaker 1: Some southern states had these brain teaser tests all the 249 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 1: way up until the mid nineteen sixties, when the Voting 250 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 1: Rights Act finally said you don't need to do a 251 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:42,360 Speaker 1: brain teaser to vote. That's um illegal and it's kind 252 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: of dumb. Yeah. So you know, there was a lot 253 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: of UM, a lot of chicanery, effery I think, as 254 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 1: John Oliver would put it, UM that was going on 255 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 1: in the South. Uh. But I mean the one of 256 00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: the mechanisms that I think that that really got you 257 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,680 Speaker 1: u UM that were that really just kind of probably 258 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: the most effective one was just straight up violence, like 259 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: the the Ku Klux Klan, UM, the Knights of the 260 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:16,160 Speaker 1: White Camelea UM, A bunch of different groups, terrorists, organizations 261 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: grew up two terrorized black people and people who supported 262 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: the rights of black people, UM to send a message 263 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: it saying like no, we're we're the white power structure 264 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: is going to be staying in power around here, and 265 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: we will go so far as to murder you and 266 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:38,480 Speaker 1: your family and make examples out of you to like 267 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 1: leaving you in a tree as a signal to everybody else. 268 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:43,960 Speaker 1: This is what happens when you try to vote. This 269 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 1: is what happens when you you try to register other 270 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: people to vote. UM. And it was a very long 271 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: lasting legacy that went on from the end of the 272 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 1: Civil War up until I believe Congress finally, UH passed 273 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: a law saying that no, this is this is illegal. 274 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: You can't do this kind of thing. But it went 275 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:06,960 Speaker 1: on for decades like this. Yeah, they finally made it 276 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 1: a federal crime and more than three thousand clan members 277 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: were indicted. Only about six hundred of those were actually 278 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,840 Speaker 1: convicted because again we're talking about juries in the South 279 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,119 Speaker 1: for the most part. Uh, this seems like a good 280 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:22,120 Speaker 1: time to take a break, Okay, and we'll pick back 281 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 1: up with number seven right after this number seven. Right, So, 282 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: there's some just to give you a little historical background 283 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: real quick. There's some um, there's reconstruction where black Americans 284 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: become in franchise they have the right to vote. In 285 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 1: response to that, there's terror, there's Jim Crow laws. And 286 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 1: then in response to the Jim Crow laws that that 287 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 1: just overtly suppressed the Black vote, there was the Voting 288 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 1: Rights Act. And for a long time, the Voting Rights 289 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: Act was really effective. And the reason why it was 290 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: effective was because there was a section to it, section five, 291 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:26,800 Speaker 1: that said, hey, if you've ever ever engaged in voter discrimination, 292 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 1: you're on a statewide basis, on a systemic basis, you 293 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: have to have us. The federal government review any changes 294 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 1: to the voting procedure in your state before you can 295 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: implement them. And so any state that wanted to try 296 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: to come up with some voter suppression tactic, it might 297 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: be brilliant, but if the federal government said no, they 298 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: couldn't do it, and so the vote would be saved 299 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: in that respect. Well, in two thousand thirteen, the Robert's 300 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: leg Court um struck down Section five of the Voting 301 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: Rights Act. So now we're seeing the results of that 302 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: where voter suppression tactics are starting to come back, and 303 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 1: they're starting to come back in like this avalanche of 304 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: tactics where across the country. If you put them all together, 305 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,439 Speaker 1: it's a real problem. But the Voting Rights Act figured 306 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: in dramatically to save the vote of people. UM, and 307 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 1: the gutting of that section five and two thousand thirteen 308 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: by the Supreme Court did the exact opposite to it. 309 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:26,199 Speaker 1: That's right. One tactic that they could use and use 310 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:28,880 Speaker 1: for many years was just making it and still used 311 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: to some degree, making it difficult to register or to vote. UM. 312 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:34,439 Speaker 1: Here are some of the things that used to do. 313 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:38,359 Speaker 1: Is you have to keep reregistering many many times you 314 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,360 Speaker 1: have to have a street address with an actual name 315 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: and number. And if you were an African American living 316 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,200 Speaker 1: in the rural South, you may not have an actual 317 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: street address. UM on the dirt road next to the 318 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:55,240 Speaker 1: field that you farm. Um. You know, little things like this, 319 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,479 Speaker 1: these technicalities to meet these requirements to vote that they 320 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,440 Speaker 1: knew that African Americans didn't have. And you know, there 321 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: are were and are still literal conversations, some of them 322 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 1: these days are even on tape where you hear of 323 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:14,480 Speaker 1: public officials talk about making it hard for black people 324 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: to vote. And if we do this, this is how 325 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: many people we think we can keep off the voter 326 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 1: registration logs. Uh. It's just it's shameful. And UM, I'm 327 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 1: surprised we're not screaming at this point. We're trying to 328 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: keep it together. It wasn't just in the South, oh, 329 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: in the North and in the West in the early 330 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,120 Speaker 1: nineteen hundreds, Um, there were immigrants, and they didn't want 331 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: immigrants voting. A lot of times, UM, ethnic and religious 332 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: minorities they didn't want voting. So in places in the 333 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 1: North and the West, like New Jersey and California, they 334 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: made it tough for immigrants to vote by saying you 335 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:51,320 Speaker 1: have to have your uh, your original naturalization papers at 336 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: the polling place. Or maybe we don't want maybe the 337 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 1: interests of people who work in factories don't align with 338 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: our So here's what we'll do. Those people work long 339 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: ten to twelve hour shifts, can't make it to the polls. 340 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: So we're going to close the registration offices before those 341 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,640 Speaker 1: factories shut down every day to keep them from voting. Yeah, 342 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:14,239 Speaker 1: and there were there were other ways, like you know 343 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:17,480 Speaker 1: that that they went back to close these loopholes too, 344 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 1: Like it was a real public private partnership between the 345 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: government and other groups. There were there were groups that 346 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: were dedicated to kind of preserving white supremacy in the South. 347 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: Say that would um, that would boycott businesses that where 348 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: they found out that those those employers gave their black 349 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 1: employees time off during the day to go registered to 350 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,640 Speaker 1: vote or to vote, Like, you could lose your customer 351 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 1: base because if they found out that you were doing 352 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: that with with black people, um or with your black employees. 353 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,639 Speaker 1: So there were like even if you say, well, so 354 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 1: what it was hard to get registered to vote? Figure 355 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 1: it out, Um, it was disproportionately leveled at black vote ers, 356 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 1: and even if you did figure it out, there were 357 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:07,680 Speaker 1: repercussions for figuring it out too. Yeah, or in New York, 358 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:11,880 Speaker 1: if you know that UM a lot of Jewish people 359 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:14,639 Speaker 1: might vote in a more liberal way, Hey, let's have 360 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:19,199 Speaker 1: registration times on Saturdays and yam kapoor. When we know 361 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 1: that Jewish people won't be able to get out and 362 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: registered to vote, it's high time that we make UH 363 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 1: voting days national holidays. I agree, Chuck. I agree it 364 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: should be a paid holiday, UM, a national paid holiday, 365 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,959 Speaker 1: or have it on Saturdays. Do something but make it 366 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: less hard for sure. Yeah, Like people need to be 367 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:46,399 Speaker 1: allowed to vote. And we're not talking about UM voter fraud. 368 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,800 Speaker 1: We're talking about legal Americans having the right in the 369 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,120 Speaker 1: ability to vote in as easy away as possible. Yes. 370 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,520 Speaker 1: And if you also say, well, if they really wanted 371 00:20:56,560 --> 00:20:58,879 Speaker 1: to vote, they would, they would find a way to 372 00:20:58,920 --> 00:21:01,120 Speaker 1: do it. When's it lie time you didn't log into 373 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: a website because it required two factor authentication from your 374 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: break And we're talking about having to take a bus 375 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: across the county to registered to vote when you have 376 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: to be working and your employer won't give you time off, 377 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: so you have to take sick time to just go 378 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:17,159 Speaker 1: register to vote, and then you have to do it 379 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 1: all again to go vote. It's it's more problematic than 380 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:24,800 Speaker 1: it appears. Just when you're saying it out loud. That 381 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: was a good burn. Sick burn, thanks man. UH Number six, 382 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:32,400 Speaker 1: Straight up, voter intimidation still happens to a large degree. Uh. 383 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: In two thousand four, it was reported that in Florida, 384 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,680 Speaker 1: in the state election there, they sent plain closed state 385 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 1: troopers to the homes of fifty elderly black voters to 386 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:49,360 Speaker 1: question them for supposed election fraud um. And then when 387 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: they asked the state officials why they sent these state troopers, 388 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 1: they said, well, we saw we thought it might be 389 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:58,880 Speaker 1: a more relaxed atmosphere to to come to their home 390 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,920 Speaker 1: and ask these elder really black voters about whether or 391 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: not they participated in voter fraud, which, by the way, 392 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: this investigation turned up absolutely no fraud whatsoever, so it 393 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:15,000 Speaker 1: didn't happen, um, which is like basically all investigations of 394 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:18,160 Speaker 1: voter fraud turn up no fraud whatsoever, And a lot 395 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,480 Speaker 1: of people say, well, these investigations are really just um 396 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 1: intimidation tactics, and this one, to me is one of 397 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 1: the more despicable ones because it directly traces right back, 398 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: uninterrupted to the reconstruction era and the fact that it's 399 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,040 Speaker 1: still going on today is just despicable to me. But 400 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:41,080 Speaker 1: they it is. And it's not just um, you know, 401 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: state troopers showing up at your house to ask you personally. 402 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: There was a really famous case that our dear governor 403 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:51,680 Speaker 1: in Georgia, Brian kemp um when he was Secretary of State, 404 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: because we need to remember he was Secretary of State 405 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 1: running an election that he was the one of the 406 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 1: two candidates for governor in UM and a lot of 407 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 1: people say, well, he did some shady stuff, which we'll 408 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:05,239 Speaker 1: talk about later, but when he was just straight up 409 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:08,720 Speaker 1: secretary of State, he oversaw the arrest of the equipment 410 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: ten plus two where to African American school Board school 411 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 1: board officials UM who were elected a couple of times 412 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: in this one election in a runoff, fair and square, 413 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: they were arrested and their supporters and campaign advisors were 414 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:30,600 Speaker 1: arrested and taken to jail and had mug shots of 415 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,399 Speaker 1: them put on the news. UM because they were accused 416 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: of voter fraud and after years, the charges were finally dropped. 417 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: Not a single person went to jail, no one was convicted. Um, 418 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,080 Speaker 1: but a lot of people point to that and say, 419 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: if you don't understand that as a clear message to 420 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: African American not just voters but also office holders, um, 421 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: that they shouldn't bother running or else their lives are 422 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 1: going to be ruined, then you're you're really missing the 423 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: point here. Yeah, in two thousand fourteen, that is another 424 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 1: intimidation tactic. Uh. And this is just you know, these 425 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,640 Speaker 1: things that aren't technically illegal, but where candidates is trying 426 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,159 Speaker 1: to be very sneaky and if they can, you know, 427 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,879 Speaker 1: if they can trick a hundred voters into doing the 428 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:15,359 Speaker 1: wrong thing, then it's their their time has been well 429 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:19,400 Speaker 1: spent in their minds. But Mitch McConnell's campaign sent out 430 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:25,199 Speaker 1: these mailers that were marked election violation notice, and it 431 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 1: had the warning you are at risk of acting on 432 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,640 Speaker 1: fraudulent information. And you start to read it and what 433 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:35,120 Speaker 1: it is is just, um, basically, here's my opposition candidate, 434 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: and UM, we don't like what they say, so this 435 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: is fraudulent information. But they dress it up in a 436 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 1: way sort of like the publisher's clearing house. That makes, 437 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,439 Speaker 1: you know, our our elderly citizens drive across the country 438 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: thinking they have actually won real money. Right, this is 439 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,360 Speaker 1: the making it. Yeah, this is the opposite of that, 440 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,920 Speaker 1: but using the same tricks. Basically, it's like you get 441 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: a notice in the mail, um, and these you know, 442 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: it's usually preying on people that are that are older 443 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,720 Speaker 1: in our country, which is sad and awful. Uh. And 444 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:08,439 Speaker 1: they get a notice in their mail that says, oh 445 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 1: my gosh, I'm at risk of acting on fraudulent information. Yeah, 446 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: and you know they took this. Uh, they were sued, 447 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: but a federal judge said, no, I'm sorry, uh rejected basically, Yeah, 448 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 1: and I mean and also intimidation to um can be official, 449 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,440 Speaker 1: like in part of official policies, like some of those 450 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:33,879 Speaker 1: poll taxes in the South. Um, they added the extra 451 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,760 Speaker 1: layer of keeping you from even trying by saying the 452 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,120 Speaker 1: only place you can go pay for the poll taxes 453 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:44,399 Speaker 1: that your sheriff's office. Right, you might say, especially if 454 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:46,879 Speaker 1: you're white, Uh, well, big deal, I have to go 455 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: to the sheriff's office. Well imagine if you went to 456 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:51,560 Speaker 1: the sheriff's office and there was a really good chance 457 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:55,119 Speaker 1: that while you were there paying your poll tax so 458 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:57,840 Speaker 1: that you could go vote. And for that reason only, 459 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: they said, hey, by the way, while you're here, you know, 460 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:03,600 Speaker 1: we've got this case open. Where were you on Tuesday night? 461 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:05,679 Speaker 1: And you would tell them and they would say, well 462 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,840 Speaker 1: can you prove it? Um, just knowing that that was 463 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:11,600 Speaker 1: a possibility, and if you don't realize that was a possibility, 464 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: I would urge you to brush up on your Jim 465 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:17,879 Speaker 1: Crow South history. Um would would dissuade a lot of people, 466 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 1: I would guess from going to pay that poll tax 467 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: and then going to vote. Remember when Helmer Simpson, I 468 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:27,439 Speaker 1: thought you want to vote and I had to go 469 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 1: to the police station to claim his prize. Yeah that 470 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:32,400 Speaker 1: was a good one though, Yeah, that was a good one. 471 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: Another one, number five is something that is still You 472 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 1: mentioned Brian Kemp in Georgia, UM, pruning names from the 473 00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 1: voter rolls. I thought that that was I thought that 474 00:26:43,359 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 1: that was a generous word that they used, pruning, pruning, 475 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,760 Speaker 1: because it makes it seem like methodical and um, you know, 476 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,960 Speaker 1: well informed. Yeah. Well this has happened time and time again. 477 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 1: Before the two thousand election for president in Florida, once again, 478 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: state officials Republican controlled Florida. They hired a private firm 479 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:06,560 Speaker 1: to go through the registration rolls delete names who are 480 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: people who had died, who were registered multiple times in 481 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 1: multiple places, or convicted felons or declared mentally incompetent in 482 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 1: court proceedings. And you might think, well, that's great, because 483 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:22,160 Speaker 1: you know you don't want uh, deceased people on voter rolls, 484 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 1: which is true. But what about when you make mistakes 485 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 1: and you delete a lot of voters who are fully 486 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: eligible to vote. Then what happens? And the answer is nothing, No, 487 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:35,640 Speaker 1: there's not. And by the time that it does turn 488 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 1: out like, oh, we made a mistake, the elections long over. 489 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,199 Speaker 1: These these inquiries and their reports that they produce are 490 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:47,679 Speaker 1: usually a couple of years after the fact um. But 491 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:52,119 Speaker 1: the in Georgia in particular, they found out that again, 492 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 1: the guy who oversaw the purging of the voter rolls 493 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: was one of the two candidates in the election. Just 494 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: basic ethics says, you recuse yourself, you have nothing to 495 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 1: do with us, or you say no, no, no, let's 496 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:07,560 Speaker 1: not do this, or let's do it the right way, 497 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:12,359 Speaker 1: not let's purge this many people that we actually mistakenly 498 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: removed two hundred thousand people removed their right to vote 499 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:19,360 Speaker 1: in this in this election, two hundred thousand. And then, 500 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,639 Speaker 1: just to add horrible irony to the whole thing, it 501 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,800 Speaker 1: was only by fifty five thousand votes that that Brian 502 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: Kemp beat Stacy Abrams in that gubernatorial election. Yeah, that 503 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: was a bitter pill here in Georgia because remember it 504 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,240 Speaker 1: was like I think it was the week or it 505 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: may even be the eve of the election when they 506 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:43,480 Speaker 1: lobbied the charge that the Republican UH system had been 507 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 1: hacked and that they were launching a case against Abrams 508 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,320 Speaker 1: to look into it. And then you know, after the election, 509 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:52,840 Speaker 1: of course they're like, oh, we were wrong. They didn't 510 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:56,600 Speaker 1: hack us after all, right, Which again, who who said 511 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: that they that they were hacked? Was that the Secretary 512 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:00,959 Speaker 1: of State Brian Kemp, who was so running for governor 513 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 1: against Stacy Abrahams. Yeah, yeah, what about voter I D. 514 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:08,160 Speaker 1: Voters should take a break. Oh yeah, let's take a break. 515 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 1: I'm pretty charged up here, all right, We'll take a 516 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: break and we'll talk about voter I D and some 517 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 1: in a few more things right after this. So we 518 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: talked a lot about voter I D chuck in, um, 519 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: the voter suppression episode, which again go go listen to that, guys. 520 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,600 Speaker 1: It's a it's a good one as well. Um. But 521 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:52,160 Speaker 1: the upshot of it, there's that word again. The upshot 522 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:56,640 Speaker 1: of it is that, um, if you require someone to 523 00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 1: show there that they are who they say they are 524 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: when when they go vote, you can make a good 525 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 1: case that at the very at least, you're adding an 526 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,920 Speaker 1: obstacle or a barrier to voting. But you could also say, well, 527 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,640 Speaker 1: if you have to pay for that, that technically constitutes 528 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:16,959 Speaker 1: a poll tax. And people say, oh, yeah, well Section 529 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,720 Speaker 1: five of the Voting Rights Act doesn't exist anymore, so 530 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:26,840 Speaker 1: go sit on it. Ralph mouth. Yeah, I mean in 531 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:30,640 Speaker 1: some states it costs up to sixty bucks. That's that's unconscionable, man, 532 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:34,360 Speaker 1: that I D. And you know, sixty dollars for some 533 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 1: people is their grocery money for the week when you 534 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 1: lift paycheck to paycheck. And again, you know, it's really 535 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:44,480 Speaker 1: easy to say, well, you know, just pay the money 536 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:45,640 Speaker 1: and go out and get your I D. So you 537 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:47,840 Speaker 1: can vote if you really want to vote. That's a 538 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:49,920 Speaker 1: choice between that and putting food on the table for 539 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:53,520 Speaker 1: your kids. It's a barrier to voting, plain and simple. Yeah. 540 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:55,480 Speaker 1: And also, I mean there are plenty of states who 541 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 1: that rightly who require a voter I d um rightly 542 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,320 Speaker 1: off or free ideas that you can use to vote. 543 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: Um Like, that's definitely the way that it should be. 544 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,160 Speaker 1: But that's still again, any time you require somebody to 545 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: potentially take time off of work, that puts an enormous 546 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: burden on like working like the working poort, like people 547 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: who just can't afford to take time off of work. 548 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 1: They might be in a job where there's enough people, 549 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: um who would love to have that job that if 550 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 1: they take a sick day, their boss can be like, 551 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: you know what, I know, you weren't sick, and you're fired. 552 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:32,520 Speaker 1: This is the last straw. So your job could actually 553 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: be on the line. Could be more than just a 554 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 1: loss of hours, It could equal the loss of a job. 555 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 1: And again, we live in a democratic country where the barriers, 556 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 1: the barriers to democracy should be lowered, not raised lowered. 557 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 1: And yes, we should vigorously prosecute any instance of fraud, 558 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:55,800 Speaker 1: but because that hasn't been shown to exist, lowering the 559 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 1: barriers so people can legally vote is not problematic. And 560 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:05,120 Speaker 1: it's andy democratic to do that to raise them. It is. 561 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:09,720 Speaker 1: And when you when you hear these uh these taped conversations, 562 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,920 Speaker 1: they're not talking about voter fraud. They're saying, hey, we 563 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:17,000 Speaker 1: can get probably a two point five percent reduction of 564 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: African American voter turn out in this county if we 565 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: do X. And I again, like we keep saying African 566 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,840 Speaker 1: American voter turn out. Like when when there was when 567 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:31,480 Speaker 1: I think Miami UM purged their voter roles in I 568 00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: don't remember exactly when it was, but there was a 569 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 1: commission that did a report on it, and their purge 570 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: affected sixty like six of the people who are deleted 571 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 1: were black voters, even though those voters represented just twenty 572 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 1: point four percent of the population, whereas only sixteen point 573 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:51,840 Speaker 1: six percent of the people who are purged were white, 574 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:55,960 Speaker 1: even though those people represented seventy seven percent of the public. 575 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: So yeah, like if you if you look at studies 576 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 1: of this stuff, it disprop portunately impacts black voters, typically 577 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:06,520 Speaker 1: minority vote voters as a whole, but definitely black voters 578 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 1: for sure. And that's not to say like the Republican 579 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 1: Party just hates black people. The Republican Party knows that 580 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 1: African Americans typically tend to vote Democrat and they're a 581 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:19,880 Speaker 1: large group of people, so if you can make it 582 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:22,800 Speaker 1: harder for them to vote, UM, you're probably going to 583 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:27,440 Speaker 1: affect the Democrats vote, not your vote. Yeah. Another thing 584 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:31,200 Speaker 1: that you can do is close UH polling stations and 585 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:35,360 Speaker 1: limit polling hours in counties where you think it might 586 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: help your vote. UM. There are a bunch of swing 587 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 1: states North Carolina, Ohio and some other states that have 588 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:45,960 Speaker 1: cut early voting days or hours. UM. There was a 589 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: report in two thousand fourteen that said they're more likely 590 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 1: to inconvenience black voters who liked to vote early and 591 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:57,560 Speaker 1: in person historically. UM. In Maricopa County in Arizona, there 592 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:01,400 Speaker 1: were four voting voting locations in two thousand eight. In 593 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,960 Speaker 1: two thousand sixteen there were sixty. This is a huge, 594 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:10,240 Speaker 1: huge problem, a huge problem. This is one one way 595 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:13,320 Speaker 1: that this is going on, making it harder to vote 596 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:17,839 Speaker 1: by making voting less available to people when it can 597 00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:21,359 Speaker 1: totally be afforded. UM. It's being pruned. UM. And it's 598 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:24,479 Speaker 1: not just Texas, although Texas has some agregious stuff going 599 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 1: on since two thousand UM. Oh I don't remember. Two 600 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:33,600 Speaker 1: thou fourteen, maybe Texas has shut down seven hundred and 601 00:34:33,680 --> 00:34:38,200 Speaker 1: sixty polling locations places to vote, seven hundred and sixty 602 00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:41,759 Speaker 1: and there they they currently have on the UM on 603 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,040 Speaker 1: the agenda. I don't know if it's been pasted or 604 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:47,319 Speaker 1: if it's just been proposed or what. But UM, if 605 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:51,880 Speaker 1: you want to vote by UM mail in ballot, the 606 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:56,480 Speaker 1: drop off locations in Texas has been reduced to one 607 00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:00,239 Speaker 1: per county. They said, that's it. One place in two 608 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:03,319 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty four counties. There there's one place in 609 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 1: each of those counties where you can take your ballot 610 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:09,160 Speaker 1: to drop it off. The problem with this is that 611 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 1: some of Texas counties are enormous. Texas has a number 612 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,960 Speaker 1: of counties that are larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island 613 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,840 Speaker 1: put together. They have something like a hundred and twenty 614 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:25,280 Speaker 1: counties that are larger than Rhode Island. Granted, Rhode Island 615 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:27,919 Speaker 1: is small, but Rhode Island is a small state. These 616 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 1: are counties in Texas we're talking about, and in one 617 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:33,439 Speaker 1: place in each of those counties, there's a place where 618 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:36,240 Speaker 1: you can drop off your your mail in ballot. UM. 619 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:38,919 Speaker 1: That's that's that's a problem and a lot of people 620 00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:42,400 Speaker 1: are just going bonkers over that one. Yeah. And beyond 621 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:48,360 Speaker 1: closing polling places, like having to maybe take two or 622 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:50,920 Speaker 1: three city buses to get to your place to vote. 623 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 1: When you finally get there, if you managed to go 624 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:58,040 Speaker 1: through all that trouble, which is again they're trying to 625 00:35:58,040 --> 00:35:59,879 Speaker 1: to make you say, you know what, it's not worth 626 00:35:59,880 --> 00:36:03,120 Speaker 1: the trouble. H, then you're met with you know, five six, 627 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:06,279 Speaker 1: seven hour lines all day long, right, and this is 628 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,520 Speaker 1: what you get for your for your troubles to try 629 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:11,719 Speaker 1: and participate an American democracy. Yeah, so going on you 630 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:14,840 Speaker 1: on your lunch break doesn't end up working out very well. 631 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:20,439 Speaker 1: What about trickery number two? This is pretty awful. Um, 632 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 1: you talked about that one by um the people. I 633 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:26,200 Speaker 1: don't know if it was Mitch McConnell's campaign or just 634 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:28,680 Speaker 1: a group supporting him, or if it was one and 635 00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:31,520 Speaker 1: the same. Who knows, um tricking people by saying you're 636 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:35,719 Speaker 1: about to act on fraudulent information or something that's I mean, 637 00:36:35,719 --> 00:36:39,319 Speaker 1: that's long standing. There is one. I'm guarantee we talked 638 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 1: about this before. I'm almost positive. But in two thousand 639 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:47,600 Speaker 1: and eight, Um, someone in Virginia sent a flyer out 640 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:49,640 Speaker 1: that looked like it was from the state Board of 641 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:53,319 Speaker 1: Elections that said, Um, if you're a Republican, you should 642 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:55,759 Speaker 1: vote on November four. If you're a Democrat, you vote 643 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:58,760 Speaker 1: on November five, which is the day after the election, 644 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:01,880 Speaker 1: which is in one way hilarious. I mean, it's just 645 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:05,120 Speaker 1: hysterical that that somebody did that in another way, and 646 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,640 Speaker 1: the fact that it could have even if it didn't, 647 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:12,320 Speaker 1: but it could have impacted somebody's vote by purposefully confusing them. 648 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:15,520 Speaker 1: That's despicable. Again, that's a word I keep going to 649 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,959 Speaker 1: because I genuinely feel that way about going to any 650 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:23,560 Speaker 1: length to to deprive or fool someone out of voting. Right. 651 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:26,080 Speaker 1: But if you get caught doing that, truly, there is 652 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 1: a massive debt to pay via jail time. Like in 653 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:34,560 Speaker 1: Maryland in two thousand ten, a robocall campaign during the 654 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 1: gubernatorial election told thousands of voters in African American neighborhoods 655 00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:43,640 Speaker 1: that they could quote relax and stay at home that 656 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:48,319 Speaker 1: evening because Democratic incumbent Governor Martin O'Malley had already won 657 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:52,040 Speaker 1: the election. Uh, not true. The polls were closed, and 658 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:55,080 Speaker 1: this wasn't just tricksters. This was Paul Shurick, who was 659 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:59,879 Speaker 1: the campaign manager for the Republican opponent UM who went 660 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:02,560 Speaker 1: ended up winning, and they caught him and he was 661 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:05,760 Speaker 1: charged and found guilty of four counts of election fraud. 662 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:09,279 Speaker 1: And you think, all right, throw the book at the guy. 663 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:11,399 Speaker 1: What did he get? What did he get? He got 664 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:15,359 Speaker 1: thirty days home detention, probation and community service, right, which 665 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 1: is really disappointing, not because that guy deserved worse, but 666 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:24,359 Speaker 1: because our federal um, the penalties for federal election laws 667 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:27,760 Speaker 1: are breaking them, UM, that are meant to protect people's 668 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:30,240 Speaker 1: right to vote and punish people who try to deprive 669 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:33,200 Speaker 1: people at the right to vote. Those are federal laws 670 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:35,680 Speaker 1: and the penalties are supposed to be pretty stiff. So 671 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:40,560 Speaker 1: thirty days of house arrest at his house, um, when 672 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:43,359 Speaker 1: he when really he made a name for himself, is like, hey, 673 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:45,960 Speaker 1: I'll make sure that you're going to get elected as 674 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:49,840 Speaker 1: a campaign manager. That's very disappointing for sure. Well, because 675 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:52,200 Speaker 1: the message it sends is it's totally worth it to 676 00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:56,200 Speaker 1: do this swinging, swinging election, little community service. Who cares? 677 00:38:56,480 --> 00:39:00,400 Speaker 1: And there's two guys, um, who are I don't know 678 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:02,399 Speaker 1: what's going to happen to them, but they are. They 679 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:04,279 Speaker 1: have a lot of charges against them right now. But 680 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:09,319 Speaker 1: for this, I believe the election UM they had they 681 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 1: sponsored a bunch of robo calls, tens of thousands of 682 00:39:11,719 --> 00:39:15,360 Speaker 1: robo calls in places like Michigan, Chicago, UM, and I 683 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:19,960 Speaker 1: believe they were targeting African American UH voters where it 684 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:25,480 Speaker 1: said if you vote by mail, your information is subject 685 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:28,800 Speaker 1: to be handed over to the police and run for 686 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:34,880 Speaker 1: UM any potential outstanding warrants, or it may be added 687 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:38,759 Speaker 1: to the mandatory vaccine list, as if that exists. But 688 00:39:38,920 --> 00:39:43,200 Speaker 1: just playing on people's deepest fears to to to prevent 689 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:46,160 Speaker 1: them for voting, to dissuade them from voting. You'd have 690 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:48,680 Speaker 1: to be a genuine scumbag of the highest order to 691 00:39:48,719 --> 00:39:50,959 Speaker 1: do something like that. And they caught these two guys, 692 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,360 Speaker 1: Jacob Wall and Jack Berkman doing just that UM. And 693 00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:56,879 Speaker 1: as a matter of fact, there they I guess when 694 00:39:56,880 --> 00:39:59,880 Speaker 1: they registered these robot calls UM, they registered it to 695 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:01,840 Speaker 1: one of their phone numbers and then came out and 696 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:05,920 Speaker 1: blamed it on Democratic Operatives UM, because they wouldn't have 697 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:08,839 Speaker 1: possibly used their own phone number for this kind of thing. 698 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:11,120 Speaker 1: Just to add a little cherry on top. I just say, 699 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:13,640 Speaker 1: all this is alleged because they're they're charged with this 700 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,920 Speaker 1: right now, but they haven't been convicted, right Well, I'm 701 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:18,960 Speaker 1: sure they have some community service to look forward to, 702 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:22,960 Speaker 1: ye in some house arrest. So um. The final one 703 00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:27,000 Speaker 1: on the list here is is a controversial one to 704 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:29,360 Speaker 1: be sure, but whether or not you should be allowed 705 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:33,120 Speaker 1: to vote as a felon or as someone who has 706 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:37,120 Speaker 1: ever convicted been convicted of a crime. Uh and many 707 00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:38,520 Speaker 1: and this is one that's kind of going the other 708 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:42,080 Speaker 1: way now, but for many, many years in many states, 709 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:46,239 Speaker 1: if you have ever been convicted of any crime, even 710 00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:49,000 Speaker 1: if you went to prison, served your time, got out, 711 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:53,680 Speaker 1: and we're leading a great beneficial life towards society, you 712 00:40:53,719 --> 00:40:57,280 Speaker 1: are not allowed to vote anymore, right, which has started 713 00:40:57,320 --> 00:41:01,080 Speaker 1: to become overturned I think in two thousand eight teen. Yeah, 714 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:07,080 Speaker 1: in Florida. Florida's had this long standing um disenfranchisement policy 715 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:10,120 Speaker 1: which most people have accepted for for years. But then 716 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:13,680 Speaker 1: finally some people came along and said, hey, this is 717 00:41:13,719 --> 00:41:15,759 Speaker 1: really affecting a lot of people who want to vote, 718 00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:19,480 Speaker 1: who've who you know, serve their time, who have become reformed, 719 00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:22,440 Speaker 1: they want to be full citizens again, can we give 720 00:41:22,480 --> 00:41:24,400 Speaker 1: them the right back to vote? And in two thousand 721 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 1: and eighteen, that was on the on the ballot and 722 00:41:27,239 --> 00:41:30,759 Speaker 1: Florida voters overwhelmingly said, yes, totally, let's do that. They 723 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:32,960 Speaker 1: have to have served their time and repaid all of 724 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:36,200 Speaker 1: their restitutions, but we're we're going to um give them 725 00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:38,320 Speaker 1: the right to vote back. And it was a huge victory. 726 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:41,879 Speaker 1: And then there was a Republican lawmaker who said, well, 727 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:44,799 Speaker 1: wait a minute, this is kind of vague. UM. It 728 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:48,560 Speaker 1: says that they have to have um, have have fulfilled 729 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:51,239 Speaker 1: all of their sentencing obligations. There's a lot of these 730 00:41:51,239 --> 00:41:53,000 Speaker 1: people who are about to get their their right to 731 00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:55,960 Speaker 1: vote back who haven't paid all their fines and fees, which, 732 00:41:56,080 --> 00:42:00,759 Speaker 1: as it's been understood traditionally, you have basically lifetime to 733 00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:05,279 Speaker 1: pay off the the actual financial fees and restitution that 734 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:09,040 Speaker 1: come along with UM being convicted of a crime. Uh. 735 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:11,560 Speaker 1: That that that you have to pay that off first. 736 00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:14,160 Speaker 1: That's that's in the law and actually got passed in 737 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:19,080 Speaker 1: the Florida legislature, Republican controlled legislature that UM, you have 738 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:22,240 Speaker 1: to pay all of your fines and fees first before 739 00:42:22,320 --> 00:42:25,560 Speaker 1: you can get enfranchised again, and that's proving to be 740 00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:31,800 Speaker 1: an enormous problem for a lot of the UH former convicts. Yeah, 741 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:34,640 Speaker 1: so it you know it continues to this day. I 742 00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:37,640 Speaker 1: know we got on our soapbox and pretty passionate about 743 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:40,160 Speaker 1: this one. But we're both believers in the right to 744 00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:43,200 Speaker 1: vote and to make it as easy as possible for 745 00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:47,920 Speaker 1: UH eligible voters to vote. I don't see any argument 746 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:51,480 Speaker 1: counter to that. That's that's valid. Why why wouldn't you 747 00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:55,040 Speaker 1: and a great democracy want as many people to vote 748 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:58,920 Speaker 1: as possible. Again, the only argument you will see again 749 00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 1: and again is voter fraud. And if you can show 750 00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:03,680 Speaker 1: that voter fraud doesn't exist, then you just knock the 751 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:06,000 Speaker 1: legs out from under it and all it's just exposes 752 00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:09,799 Speaker 1: voter suppression then, so hopefully the more people who know 753 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:12,600 Speaker 1: about it chuck, the harder it is to do stuff 754 00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:14,879 Speaker 1: like this. And I hope that that's the case, because 755 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:17,360 Speaker 1: that's why we shared this, Because I don't care what 756 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:20,360 Speaker 1: political persuasion you are, it's wrong to suppress the vote. 757 00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:23,920 Speaker 1: It's just wrong. I'm sorry. If you want to know 758 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:27,520 Speaker 1: more about voter suppression, UM, you can go try to 759 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:30,319 Speaker 1: vote and see what happens and since I said that, 760 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:34,920 Speaker 1: it's time for and by the way, go vote, go vote. 761 00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:37,839 Speaker 1: And you know, I think by the time this comes out, 762 00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:41,480 Speaker 1: most of the state's registration will be um shut down. 763 00:43:41,600 --> 00:43:45,600 Speaker 1: But for the future, even if you voted in the 764 00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:49,600 Speaker 1: last election, like I check mine two or three times 765 00:43:49,600 --> 00:43:51,759 Speaker 1: before every election because I don't want to show up 766 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:55,080 Speaker 1: on election day at my polling place and be surprised 767 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:57,400 Speaker 1: to learn that I'm not on the roll or the register, 768 00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:00,680 Speaker 1: or that my polling place has moved. Just check it, 769 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:02,440 Speaker 1: check it, and check it and recheck it. Yeah, and 770 00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:05,839 Speaker 1: there's tons of websites out there that um legit websites 771 00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:08,400 Speaker 1: that aren't affiliated with any party that can help you 772 00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:12,000 Speaker 1: check that um. And if you are registered to vote, 773 00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:15,719 Speaker 1: please vote whoever you vote for. Just vote like it's 774 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:19,680 Speaker 1: important that you vote, so go be a good American vote. 775 00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:22,200 Speaker 1: And since I said that, finally, I think Chuck, it's 776 00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:29,120 Speaker 1: time for listener mail. Uh. This is from Ellie. She says, Hey, guys, 777 00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:32,040 Speaker 1: live in Kansas working Topeka, and I just listened to 778 00:44:32,080 --> 00:44:35,200 Speaker 1: the episode on Fallout Shelters. I cannot begin to explain 779 00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:37,040 Speaker 1: to you the nerdy level of excitement I felt while 780 00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:39,920 Speaker 1: driving to a client meeting when I spotted a yellow 781 00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:42,520 Speaker 1: sign with the three triangles, just as you said there 782 00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:45,400 Speaker 1: would be in the episode. I wanted so badly to 783 00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:48,200 Speaker 1: stop and steal the sign off of the old brick, 784 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:51,200 Speaker 1: nondescript building, but I didn't think that would bode well 785 00:44:51,239 --> 00:44:53,279 Speaker 1: since I worked for the state and I was in 786 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:55,960 Speaker 1: a state licensed vehicle at the time. I think people 787 00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:59,280 Speaker 1: would have just guessed that you were requisitioning and kicking 788 00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:01,640 Speaker 1: it down. Yeah, would have been state. You would have 789 00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:05,759 Speaker 1: had to keep the nerdy giddiness in check. Not surprisingly, 790 00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:07,760 Speaker 1: the shelter is just two blocks from the Capitol Building 791 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:10,960 Speaker 1: downtown because we all know in a crisis situation, politicians 792 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:14,399 Speaker 1: like to make sure they're taking care of first love 793 00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:18,440 Speaker 1: random history tidbits, so you best believe I'm mentally cataloging 794 00:45:18,600 --> 00:45:20,560 Speaker 1: keep an eye out for more shelters in this area 795 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:23,200 Speaker 1: to randomly point out to my husband who have no 796 00:45:23,280 --> 00:45:27,000 Speaker 1: idea what I'm talking about any who. Thank you for 797 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:30,840 Speaker 1: your podcast and for keeping me company on my our commute. 798 00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:34,520 Speaker 1: Stay healthy and wear a mask because the coronavirus is 799 00:45:34,560 --> 00:45:38,480 Speaker 1: in fact real, and that is from Ellie t or L. 800 00:45:38,719 --> 00:45:42,040 Speaker 1: Actually I think so e l L E yep L 801 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:44,399 Speaker 1: t I'm going to try to suss out what kind 802 00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:48,600 Speaker 1: of person l is um did L spell any who 803 00:45:48,600 --> 00:45:52,480 Speaker 1: with a w h o or an h o o h? 804 00:45:52,560 --> 00:45:59,320 Speaker 1: What what's your guess? Shoes nerdy, giddy over fallout shelters. 805 00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:04,759 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna get who you are? Correct? Yes, yes, 806 00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:07,880 Speaker 1: all is one word and y w h yeah, because 807 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:11,040 Speaker 1: I think that that um that suggests a certain amount 808 00:46:11,080 --> 00:46:15,280 Speaker 1: of attention to rules and details. Note that she didn't 809 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:17,440 Speaker 1: take the fallout shelter sign even though she could have, 810 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:21,680 Speaker 1: and any who h o oh, it's much more like 811 00:46:21,719 --> 00:46:24,800 Speaker 1: whimsic goal and like I'll take my shoes off and 812 00:46:24,920 --> 00:46:27,239 Speaker 1: roll down the hill even though I'm in my fifties. 813 00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:31,240 Speaker 1: Kind of right. But she also believes that masks save lives, 814 00:46:31,239 --> 00:46:36,160 Speaker 1: so you know, attention to rule in details. Uh, well, 815 00:46:36,200 --> 00:46:39,680 Speaker 1: thanks a lot, L. That's fantastic and we appreciate hearing 816 00:46:39,719 --> 00:46:43,759 Speaker 1: from you. Kudos to to resisting temptation and yes, wear 817 00:46:43,760 --> 00:46:47,520 Speaker 1: a mask and go vote boy oh boy. We have 818 00:46:47,600 --> 00:46:49,759 Speaker 1: ticked a lot of people off with this episode, Chuck. 819 00:46:50,320 --> 00:46:52,360 Speaker 1: If we've ticked you off, we want to hear from you. 820 00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:54,399 Speaker 1: Be nice, but sure, of course we want to hear 821 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:57,120 Speaker 1: from you. You can email us, and if you are 822 00:46:57,160 --> 00:46:59,480 Speaker 1: happy with it, you can email us to either way 823 00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:06,400 Speaker 1: send it off to stuff podcast at iHeart radio dot com. 824 00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:08,560 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know is a production of iHeart Radio's 825 00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:11,120 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works for more podcasts for my heart Radio 826 00:47:11,160 --> 00:47:13,760 Speaker 1: because at the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 827 00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:18,279 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. H