1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: You're listening to Disinformed, a mini series from There Are 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: No Girls on the Internet. I'm Bridget Todd. We've talked 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,600 Speaker 1: a lot about disinformation this season, but what happens when 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: lies and distortions actually become law. Well, that's exactly what's 5 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 1: happening in Georgia. Trump's big lie that he won the 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: election and it was being stolen from him is being 7 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: used to fuel a sweeping new law that many advocates 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: say creates barriers to voting that will make it harder 9 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: for all Georgians to vote. But it doesn't start there. 10 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: I just want to find uh eleven thousand seven votes, 11 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: which is one more that we have because we won 12 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: the state, and flipping the state is a great testament 13 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: to our country. On January two, Trump had a now 14 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: infamous phone call with Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Brathinsburger, 15 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: where he falsely maintained that he'd won the election in 16 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: Georgia and pressured Raefensburger to quote find more votes in 17 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: an attempt to make that fiction a reality. In the end, 18 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: Raefensburger certified the election results because there wasn't no reason 19 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: not to. After a statewide audit of the election results. 20 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: Raefensburger himself said that Georgie's historic first statewide audit reaffirmed 21 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 1: that the state's new secure paper ballot voting system accurately 22 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: counted and reported the results. So, according to him, the 23 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: election was secure. And yet last week, the so called 24 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:38,960 Speaker 1: Election Integrity Act was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp. 25 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: This law makes massive changes to how and when folks 26 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: can vote in Georgia. Now, Kemp said this law was 27 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: necessary to boost confidence in quote, secure, accessible, in fair elections. 28 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: But if his own Secretary of State says the Georgia 29 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: election results were accurate, the most really going on. Well, 30 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: this is an example of what happens when disinformation becomes 31 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: codified into law. Despite what Trump said in that phone call, 32 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: there was no voter fraud or election fraud in Georgia, 33 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: but that didn't stop the Georgia legislature from passing this 34 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: bill that voting rights advocates say will overwhelmingly create barriers 35 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: that keep black and brown Georgians from voting. And it 36 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: was all based on a big lie. It's so important 37 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:21,359 Speaker 1: that we talk about this law for what it is 38 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: and the impact it will have on Georgians, which is 39 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: something a Noah Changa nos firsthand. It was really rooted 40 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: in self determination for me. In seventeen, Georgia was facing 41 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: a closely watched Democratic primary for governor between Stacy Abrams, 42 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: a black woman who, if she had won, would have 43 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: become the country's first black woman governor, and Stacy Evans, 44 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: a white Georgia state representative. Both candidates were speaking at 45 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: Netroots Nation, the largest gathering of progressive political organizers in 46 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,519 Speaker 1: the country, which was being held in Atlanta. Now, something 47 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: to know about Netroots is that there is always a protest. 48 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: It's basically expected at this point, and speeches always get 49 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: interrupted by shouting. It's happened to Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, 50 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Warren, and Martin O. Valley. It's a thing. In 51 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: two seventeen at net Roots, I was a partner group 52 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: of folks who you know, led a protest to shut 53 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: down um a speech that was being given by Stacy Evans, 54 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: who was at the time running against Stacy Abrams for governor. 55 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: And a lot of people thought it was just a 56 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: bunch of oh, Stacy Abrams supporters who were shutting down 57 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: this white woman. But that like at the time. I 58 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: wasn't even like a Stacy fan. I wasn't even I 59 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: was like, I'll probably vote for her, But it wasn't anything, 60 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: and so many folks what it was was really about 61 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: Stacy Evans was trying to be positioned as like the 62 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: more progressive choice, and she had a bunch of votes, 63 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: including some long education which were extremely problematic when she 64 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: had was not being held accountable on And that day 65 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: at net Root, she was speaking before Becky Pringle, who 66 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: was then the vice president of the n e A, 67 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: the National Education Association. So you're someone who has been 68 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: pro charter school, um, pro you know, removing money out 69 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: of education. You voted against the interests of teachers, students, families, unions, 70 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: and you're speaking and ahead of like this prominent national 71 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: black woman that has been this advocate for education. That's 72 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: a Noah alongside a group of black women interrupting Stacy 73 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: Evans's planned speech. They're chanting trust black women. The incident 74 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: came up in a tense debate between Evans and Abrams, 75 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: with Evans maintaining that what happened at net Roots was 76 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: not a peaceful protest and kind of implying that the 77 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: group was affiliated with the Stacy Abrams campaign, and I 78 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: support the right of folks to peacefully protest. That wasn't 79 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: what happened in that roots. And if something like that 80 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: had happened to my opponent, whether the group was affiliated, unaffiliated, 81 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: slightly affiliated, not affiliated at all, I would have stood 82 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: up and said that it was wrong. But remember I 83 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: Noah says she wasn't even a big Abram supporter at 84 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: the time. Reporters just didn't really bother to talk to 85 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: her or the group or find out more about their 86 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: motivations or message and why they interrupted the speech. They 87 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: just kind of ran with whatever. And this was hugely 88 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: instructive for Noah. Now that didn't translate the way we 89 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: thought it would, unfortunately, because no one in the media 90 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,839 Speaker 1: even cared to talk to us, to ask any of 91 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: us about what happened. The way media reacted, like especially 92 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: local media here in Georgia, ran with a particular narrative. 93 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: I mean you even had like one one article written 94 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: that just because I knew someone who was on staff 95 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: senior staff at Stacy's campaign, we had worked together previously 96 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: that because of that previous work relationship, they put me 97 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: up to it without understanding that also when you're talking 98 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: about black progressive political work, there's so few people in 99 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: these spaces, whether you're working in black Organs or white 100 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:58,919 Speaker 1: lead Organs, it's just not that many of us. We 101 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 1: all end up even are knowing each other directly or 102 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: having people in common. So that experience really taught me 103 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: about the power and necessity for telling our own stories 104 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: um making sure our voices were being heard today. A 105 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: Noah is a pretty prolific independent journalist who covers elections 106 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: and local politics in Georgia, but instead of covering them 107 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: like a horse race between two politicians, she centers the 108 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,559 Speaker 1: people impacted by the policies, people whose stories are often 109 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 1: overlooked in favor of stories about political point scoring and posturing. 110 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: And when it comes to the new voting legislation in Georgia, 111 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,160 Speaker 1: this also means pointing out a lot of lies and 112 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: distortions when we're looking at what's happening here in this law. 113 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: Like I was saying, yes, you have the lives from 114 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: the different state representatives and state senators, you have the 115 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: lives from the various UM election officials, you know, varied capacities, 116 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 1: but you have also our our governor who was the 117 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: former Secretary of State, who is known for his own 118 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: shegnanigans and foolishness. But I mean he's one who actually 119 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: lied ahead of his own election for governor. The weekend 120 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: ahead of his election for governor, he lied and said 121 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: that Stacy Abram's campaign and Democrats were trying to hack 122 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: the state of Georgia, which was not true. An investigation 123 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: later revealed that it was not true, and he has 124 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: never been held accountable that. So we know Brian camp 125 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: lies on a regular rod. Raetherensberger also has fell into 126 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: this hole of trying to appease his party and play 127 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: cating and and and twisting, you know, rhetoric. It's one 128 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: thing to deal with and be able to point out 129 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: a bold faced lie, which we've seen in this testimony 130 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: from Rudy Giuliani when he was in these various hearings 131 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: in Michigan and here in Georgia, which we've seen unfortunately 132 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: even in some of the testimony or some of the 133 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: conversations happening in chambers in the passage of these bills 134 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: by Republican elected officials, and I often harp on the 135 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 1: Secretary State because everyone has in terms of national media 136 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: has like lionized him and made him this very important figure. 137 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: But at the same time, he gives credence and he 138 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: finds ways to give legitimacy. Even though he has certified 139 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: the election, even though he has acknowledged there's no widespread fraud, 140 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: even though he acknowledged that this is the most secure 141 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: election Georgian has ever had, all these other things, he 142 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: will still say things that leave opened the door that 143 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:21,239 Speaker 1: act like there is legitimate concern. I mean, just even 144 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: the widespread reporting or fraud that was happening, it was 145 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: an issue at some point. It's not just simply that 146 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: people don't know the process, that don't understand what's going on, 147 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: and people are being willfully up to. As I have 148 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: for more than twenty five years, I will stand with 149 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: my fellow Georgians in pursuit of fairness. You see, I 150 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 1: did so as a college student, speaking in the shadow 151 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. I did 152 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: so as Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, and 153 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 1: now I will do so as a private citizen. In 154 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:58,079 Speaker 1: the gubernatorial election in Georgia, Stecy Abrams acknowledged that her opponent, 155 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: Brian Kemp would be the next governor of Georgia. I 156 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: watched her speech from Atlanta, where full disclosure, I spent 157 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 1: time in the state knocking doors for a campaign. During 158 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: the election, Brian Kemp was Georgia's Secretary of State, which 159 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: meant that he was in charge of overseeing his own election. 160 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 1: As Secretary of State, Kemp purged over one point for 161 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 1: a million and active voters, with low income and black 162 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: Georgians being the most likely to have their registrations canceled. 163 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: He also oversaw fifty three thousand voter registrations being put 164 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: on hold thanks to Georgia's exact match policy that flags 165 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: registrations from voters with any kind of name discrepancy in 166 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: state databases. So if you registrated for your first learners 167 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:40,079 Speaker 1: permit with your first and middle name and then registered 168 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: to vote with just your first name, you would be flagged. 169 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: According to the Associated Press, nearly seventy of those voter 170 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:50,439 Speaker 1: registrations on hold were black voters, despite the state's population 171 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 1: only being about black. Now. Because of all this, Abrams 172 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: has said the teen gubernatorial election was stolen from the 173 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: Georgia voters. After the race, she formed fair Fight, an 174 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:04,719 Speaker 1: organization aimed an increasing voter turnout and ensuring that all 175 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,719 Speaker 1: votes are accurately counted. It was hugely successful, and their 176 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,560 Speaker 1: work is often credited with securing the historic Democratic wins 177 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,960 Speaker 1: and Georgia this past election. But here's where things get tricky. 178 00:10:15,559 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: Current Secretary of State Brad Raffensburger has compared what Abrams 179 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: did to Trump's refusal to concede and pressuring officials to 180 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 1: quote fine votes. In a recent USA Today op ed, 181 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: he calls Trump's refusal to concede a page out of 182 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: Stacy Abrams's playbook, writing, abrams refusal to concede and her 183 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:37,359 Speaker 1: dogmatic conviction that her election was stolen had done significant 184 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: damage to trust an election integrity in Georgia. You have 185 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: Rappensburger recently writing and opped in the USA Today, and 186 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: in part of the rhetoric for him and UM, one 187 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: of his staffers, Gabe Sterling, blamey Stacy Abrams is saying 188 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: that her fight around this way eighteen election and ongoing 189 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 1: lawsuit in the work of fair fight is the same 190 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: as Donald Trump, right, that false equivalency, and so while 191 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 1: that's not like the exactly the same as the outright 192 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: bold face line like saying like, oh, there was massive 193 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: fraud happening in Fulton County or whatever. At the same time, 194 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: it still lends credence, it still gives legitimacy. And because 195 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 1: they did have the one brave stand which really was 196 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 1: a matter of I don't want to go to jail 197 00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: because that's hella illegal, Like I mean, let's just be real, 198 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: like Brad, Brad did not. Brad did everything else in 199 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 1: his power. Brad didn't want to go to jail because 200 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: that's like telling someone to go find some votes the 201 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 1: same scandal, Like that's jail, right, let it's real life. 202 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,960 Speaker 1: And so but they will, they will still craft narratives, 203 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 1: They still will shift things that still give support. And 204 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:43,240 Speaker 1: then people who are like, oh, well, he's a Secretary 205 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: of State, he's selected official, he should get some deference, 206 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 1: will cover a report what he says and does as 207 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: if it's legitimate concern, when in fact it's really just 208 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: also in the furtherance of the Republican agenda, which we 209 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:00,160 Speaker 1: have seen very clearly over this past year. But I 210 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,080 Speaker 1: mean you and I you know, as folks who have 211 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: been digging in and and focusing and looking at the 212 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: scourge that is disinformation have seen how deeply entrenched and 213 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: widespread it has been, particularly over the past several years, 214 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: and the very deep uh digital networks and that already 215 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,960 Speaker 1: exists in like you know, liberals and the left and 216 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,840 Speaker 1: progressives are way behind the eight ball. We react, unfortunately 217 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: to things where these people are very strategic. I mean, 218 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: even I was reading article this morning about one of 219 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: the lawyers that was representing Trump with all that nonsense. 220 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: She was actually one of the lawyers on that infamous 221 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: phone call is now um heading up or at least 222 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 1: co leading one of the efforts to attack HR one. 223 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 1: And so it's not just Georgia, right, you see this 224 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 1: coordinated GOP attack on voting rights and really on democracy 225 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,719 Speaker 1: at this point when we are having people lie and 226 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,680 Speaker 1: having those lives and shrined into law, and and I 227 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: mean folks who say it happens in other capacities, but 228 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:05,559 Speaker 1: what's happening right now in terms of elections, in election reform, 229 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: and how we are treating false allegations as valid considerations 230 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: for law passing law. It's a very scary precedent as 231 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,320 Speaker 1: being set right now. I mean, it's so sad, but 232 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 1: that's really been Trump's legacy you know, after the election, 233 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: I saw this pull from our Street that said that 234 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: two thirds of Republicans say presidential election was invalid. And 235 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: I think that's kind of the point of this kind 236 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 1: of disinformation, to make people really distrust our democratic process 237 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: to the point where they just sort of check out. 238 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:41,200 Speaker 1: Even in states where Trump won, right, we're still seeing 239 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:45,199 Speaker 1: that happening in unfold. Right like in Iowa, We're still 240 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: seeing a Republican majority in Iowa even though Trump won 241 00:13:49,320 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: that state. Let's take a quick break back. Democrats have 242 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: their own legislation to expand voting rights, called h R one, 243 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,080 Speaker 1: which should expand access to voting by making election day 244 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:16,240 Speaker 1: and national holiday, offering online and automatic registration for anyone 245 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: who wanted it, and prohibit the kind of voter purchase 246 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 1: that we saw before the governor's race in Georgia from 247 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: taking place less than six months before in election. Now, 248 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: even though we're talking about voting rights, and Noah says 249 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: it's about much more than that. She says, it's about 250 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: a coordinated right wing attack on democracy, like the waves 251 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 1: of anti trans and anti abortion bills we've seen in 252 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 1: some states, and any attack on identities is a direct 253 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 1: attacked on democracies, like we're still seeing them them push 254 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 1: through these types of laws. We're seeing it in Mississippi 255 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 1: and Missouri, Like we're still seeing in areas that even 256 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: like they're seizing, this isn't just about like, oh, we're 257 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,240 Speaker 1: upset because this happened. This is a real opportunity point 258 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: for them, And this is like, really, do think that 259 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: we we ignore, we forget like there's so much with 260 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: so much focus on Trump and resistance and getting Trump 261 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: out of office, that these state legislatures, these states, you know, 262 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: capitals and governor seats, we've ignored the way in which 263 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: that very in deeply entrenched rhetoric has permeated at the 264 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: state level. And it's backed and funded by some of 265 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: the usual suspects that we've been talking about over the 266 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: last you know, however many decades um that that fund 267 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: and get behind these types of work. And what was 268 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: really interesting someone sent me an article recently they talked 269 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 1: about like some of the major anti abortion folks are 270 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: also getting in the fight behind HR one, Like so 271 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: we also see I had an article a couple of 272 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: weeks back in Truth Out just talking about how like 273 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: when we're talking about voting rights, and we're talking about 274 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: what's happening in these fights. It literally isn't we're talking 275 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 1: about staving democracy. It's not just about voting rights, right like, 276 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: it's about all these other opportunities and entry points. And 277 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: we're seeing some of the worst legislation that is really 278 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: denying people's humanity and rights to exist. When we see 279 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: like the trans um sports bills being passed in various places, 280 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,520 Speaker 1: when we see these various attacks on you know, reproductive 281 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 1: rights and freedom, and so we really have this much 282 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: broader attack happening on democracy, and there are these various 283 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 1: levels of lives. I mean, just thinking about the way 284 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 1: the anti abortion stuff happens, Like so much of that 285 00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: is based on fear mongering around mistruths and disinformation as well, right, so, 286 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: like it permeates across so much in conversations about this information, 287 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 1: it's tempting to focus on foreign bad actors like Russia, 288 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: but sometimes that can lead us to overlook the massive 289 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 1: coordination of domestic bad actors or right here in our 290 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,320 Speaker 1: own country, and the powerful networks of online distortions they 291 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: have at their disposal. We spent so much time in 292 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: post election focusing on Russian interference right and Russian amplification 293 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: of disinformation, but never looking at the disinformation itself, the 294 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: domestic different information. And I think now and I really appreciate, 295 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:06,159 Speaker 1: like what you've been doing, like so many people have 296 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 1: been like sounding the alarm on the danger of what 297 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 1: is happening domestically. I think now maybe folks are starting 298 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 1: to understand, but it's still being limited to Trump's big lie, 299 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:21,919 Speaker 1: which Trump's big lie is really having a grip on 300 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,840 Speaker 1: our national politics right now. But part of the reason 301 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:27,359 Speaker 1: why it's able to do so is because these networks 302 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: have been able to thrive and have existed for so long, 303 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: and they're so deep and intense and so like it's 304 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,560 Speaker 1: a it takes it's a lot to like peel back 305 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:39,960 Speaker 1: those layers. I don't think people understand about like how 306 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 1: people get targeted with disinformation, particularly when they come after black, 307 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: Latino and other folks of color um through the various 308 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: mediums like I know, you know Latino folks have talked 309 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 1: to me about like the use of WhatsApp. I think 310 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:55,119 Speaker 1: some Asian folks too have talked about the use of 311 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: what's app groups, which are very common with both communities 312 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: in terms of how they share disseminate information. So what 313 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,399 Speaker 1: you end up happening is you might have somebody's auntie 314 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: or whoever who sees like this post or sees this thing. 315 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:08,439 Speaker 1: It's like, oh my god, did you see this? And 316 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:12,200 Speaker 1: then it it spreads like wildfire. But like that information 317 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: is not actually accurate, right, So we there are these 318 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: other ways that it's very insidious and infiltrating trusted spaces 319 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: um that somehow we have to figure out how do 320 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:28,880 Speaker 1: we help people become you know, better shares of information 321 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: and really like see through because there are some things 322 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: that might kind of make sense that that's like what's 323 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: really tricky to right. People will say things that might 324 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: make sense, like let's ptake for staff with the voter 325 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:43,640 Speaker 1: I D stuff. Right, So in the Georgia law, you know, 326 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 1: there's a new voter idea requirement for folks who are 327 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: voting absolutee ballot. And it will be like, well, what's 328 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: wrong you need by I D for everything else? You 329 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 1: need I D when you do this, Yes, you need 330 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:55,920 Speaker 1: I D. You need to prove who you are when 331 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 1: you registered. But once you've registered, like why do I 332 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:02,200 Speaker 1: have to keep showing you the picture itself? Right? Like 333 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,560 Speaker 1: you need I D. You need I D when you 334 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: go here, you need ID. Like, so people will do 335 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,600 Speaker 1: this thing. They're like, well that makes sense, but the rhetoric, 336 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,680 Speaker 1: the rationalization has to do with fraud when the fraud 337 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: has never been proven to be an actual issue. Right, 338 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:20,760 Speaker 1: Like so they I remember, I remember doing some research 339 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: during the election, and like an Alabama when alabam was 340 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,840 Speaker 1: adapting its voter ide law, the nuble A CP Legal 341 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: Defense Fund looked back twelve years prior to the year 342 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: when they're trying to enact the law, trying to see 343 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:33,040 Speaker 1: how many fraud cases there were. There was only like 344 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:36,399 Speaker 1: one or two in a twelve year period, right, And 345 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:38,680 Speaker 1: so like they will use the presence of like one 346 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,399 Speaker 1: or two and they'll be like, we'll see there's an 347 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:43,639 Speaker 1: issue because this is one or two happened, or someone 348 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: made a comment about people changing you know, ballots, but 349 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:50,720 Speaker 1: it was a Republican postal man in West Virginia that 350 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:54,600 Speaker 1: was changing people's request ballots. And but it was caught. Right. 351 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,920 Speaker 1: That's the other thing, Right, the very rare instances where 352 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,639 Speaker 1: things happen, the people do doing it are caught like 353 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:05,879 Speaker 1: almost right away, right because of the mechanisms already built 354 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 1: into the system. So media frustrates me too because how 355 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:12,439 Speaker 1: they report these things as if they're valid considerations on 356 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:14,960 Speaker 1: all sides, when really the only side we need to 357 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: be thinking about is like democracy, right, And what does 358 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 1: it mean to uphold and protect democracy? And how could 359 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 1: you ever justify in rationals to say you're protecting democracy 360 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:28,360 Speaker 1: by keeping people out? Yeah, I mean you can't. You know, 361 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:32,480 Speaker 1: in a democracy, you want to expand voting access, you 362 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 1: want to make it easier and get rid of barriers 363 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: that people have to vote, not not an act more. 364 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: And it was really disingenuous to see a statement today, 365 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: I think from Kemp who was like, you know, oh, 366 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,040 Speaker 1: we're widening the like the ability for people to vote, 367 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: We're expanding it. And it's just a lie. I mean 368 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:53,240 Speaker 1: you you, there is not a way that you could 369 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 1: look at that and see the see the kinds of 370 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: barriers that this legislation puts in place, and try with 371 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,159 Speaker 1: a straight faith to say that you're actually trying to 372 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: make it easier for people to vote. If that's the case, 373 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 1: why are you threatening souls to the polls? Why have 374 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:07,640 Speaker 1: you made it so to make it harder for people 375 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: to give water to folks standing in long lines right, 376 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,280 Speaker 1: like if that's it's part of it. To me is 377 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,960 Speaker 1: shocking how they can sees on something that might have 378 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 1: a nugget of truth to try to paint a wider, 379 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:22,560 Speaker 1: a wider you know, portrait of what's happening to your 380 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: point earlier about the networks and how coordinated this is. 381 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,000 Speaker 1: Before you and I got on this call, I was 382 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 1: just doing a little search about like what's the what 383 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: you know, what am I seeing in like republican or 384 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 1: right wing spaces, Like what's the conversation online? And what 385 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,440 Speaker 1: you said about like oh, you need a vote? An 386 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:41,880 Speaker 1: I d to go buy liquor, you know, an ID 387 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: to do X y Z. Why is it bad to 388 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: have to need an idea vote? It was interesting to 389 00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: me that in some uh large Facebook groups that are 390 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: not even necessarily like explicitly political, I saw a bunch 391 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:57,320 Speaker 1: of memes this morning kind of making that point, and 392 00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: they make the point in a way that seems to 393 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,120 Speaker 1: make sense, like Okay, you know, I get the point 394 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:05,240 Speaker 1: that's being made, and it seems it seems non controversial, 395 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 1: But when you think about it, you're like, oh, wait, 396 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: in context, that's actually really messed up and then you know, 397 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 1: it's just interesting to me how how there are these 398 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 1: networks online that are ready to echo and amplify the 399 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: distortions of folks on the right about voting and disseminate 400 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 1: them into groups of people who might not even be 401 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:30,120 Speaker 1: necessarily primed to be looking at like politically charged contact. 402 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: But this is exactly how we saw the stop the 403 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:36,560 Speaker 1: steel stuff spread, right, and the j racist insurrection, Like 404 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: we these people have been primed and right, this is 405 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,919 Speaker 1: why you have so many quote unquote normal, mild mannered folks. 406 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 1: They've been all wrapped up in the Q and on 407 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,679 Speaker 1: and whatever, because again, this stuff is overlooked. It's not 408 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,880 Speaker 1: seen as important to engage with. I just remember seven 409 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,359 Speaker 1: years ago, just nonsense that would happen on Twitter, and 410 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:56,040 Speaker 1: then people be like, why do you even waste time 411 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: debunking that? Like what's the point? Like I've learned they're 412 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: probably are effective ways to do things and having one 413 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 1: on one arguments with dumb folks on Twitter. But at 414 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: the same time, like when you have people with large 415 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:10,239 Speaker 1: platforms who are engaging in some of this, you know, 416 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 1: both sides or these red herrings and stuff, it is 417 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 1: dangerous because they are then informing and engaging so many 418 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: other people. But like with these various groups, I mean 419 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: I've seen people talking about like the yoga groups, like 420 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,680 Speaker 1: some of them, the more like this basic spiritual type 421 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:29,159 Speaker 1: places that unfortunately end up being places where there was 422 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: a lot of widespread COVID nineteen misinformation being spread as well, 423 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:36,640 Speaker 1: and not necessarily because the people sharing it themselves are 424 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: malicious of trying to fool people, Like some of it 425 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 1: made sense to people, but like whoever is putting it 426 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: out there and creating it knowing that people are going 427 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: to pick it up, Like, um, I think it was 428 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,600 Speaker 1: earlier this year. Uh, there's actually someone being charged by 429 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:53,400 Speaker 1: the FBI, which I don't really know how I feel 430 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 1: about this, but at the same time, it is a 431 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,679 Speaker 1: very interesting conversation I have. There's someone being charged by 432 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:00,399 Speaker 1: the FBI, And part of it was as they were 433 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:05,239 Speaker 1: disseminating misleading information targeting predominantly UM, black and I think 434 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,680 Speaker 1: voters of color. But they were sending out what made 435 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:11,439 Speaker 1: it seem like you could vote by using a text 436 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: code if you couldn't get to the polls and think 437 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:16,880 Speaker 1: about it, right, like people were doing innovative things help 438 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:18,639 Speaker 1: people vote in the middle of a pandemic. So if 439 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:21,640 Speaker 1: you're someone who's not very politically savvy, who doesn't know 440 00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:24,919 Speaker 1: that you can't vote by texts or by tweeting at someone, 441 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: I mean, like to me and you, that might seem like, 442 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 1: of course you can't do that. But to somebody who 443 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 1: doesn't know any better, who actually thinks that that could 444 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,159 Speaker 1: be a real legitimate option and their way of also 445 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 1: engaging the process in the middle of a pandemic, that's 446 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: kind of sucked up. And so like this person, I 447 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: guess got investigated, and the other folks in this group 448 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:47,440 Speaker 1: chat they were and also got investigated, but they literally 449 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,639 Speaker 1: hadn't had a chat. They were surveilling these multiple different 450 00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:55,160 Speaker 1: groups in different spaces and coordinating releasing these memes and stuff, right, 451 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:59,320 Speaker 1: and so like, I mean, that type of stuff has 452 00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 1: been happening. And so to my point about the Russia stuff, 453 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: like what was happening with the Russia stuff in its 454 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:10,680 Speaker 1: place in the conversation, it really overshadowed the mass volume 455 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: of what was happening domestically. And so people had years 456 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:19,080 Speaker 1: now unchecked to perfect that domestic system, and we're really 457 00:25:19,200 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 1: seeing it rear its head in coordination with just the 458 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: regular conservative you know, legislative or enchoranizing that already happens, 459 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: like you know, you used to see people used to 460 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 1: talk about like you would see the ALEC bills that 461 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:35,440 Speaker 1: basically was the same boil plate language and multiple states 462 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,160 Speaker 1: across the country. They're a little bit more savvy now 463 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:42,159 Speaker 1: because we're seeing similar things happening um across the country 464 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,719 Speaker 1: and it's clearly not a coincidence. Can you tell us 465 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,160 Speaker 1: some of what's in this law some of the must 466 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 1: insidious parts of the law here in Georgia, UM, it 467 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: removes the Secretary of State as the head of the 468 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,359 Speaker 1: State Board of Elections. State Board of Elections is a 469 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: five person body. The General Assembly appoints two of those. 470 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: Both the General Assembly will now point a majority three 471 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: of the five UM with the removal of the Secretary 472 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:08,080 Speaker 1: of State as the chair, so a republic our Republican 473 00:26:08,119 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: could control legislature will now in effect controlled the state 474 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,919 Speaker 1: election Board, which the state of Election Board sets down 475 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 1: election you know, per view regulations for the entire state, 476 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:21,920 Speaker 1: which is how we select our members of a General Assembly. 477 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,359 Speaker 1: And you know, there's a brilliant lawyer here that I 478 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,359 Speaker 1: that I follow and really looks too for good and 479 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,360 Speaker 1: Sarah uh Tindal Gazal and she was just pointing out 480 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:32,400 Speaker 1: in one of the hearings, like how ridiculous it is. UM. 481 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,360 Speaker 1: One of you know, the proponent Build proponents, Barry Fleming, 482 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: was like, well, I mean the governor appoints the entire 483 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 1: board in the regions. The governor appoints the transportation board. 484 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:44,159 Speaker 1: And she's just like, Okay, I guess I gotta explain 485 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 1: this to you, But that's fine. The governor point appoints 486 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:51,879 Speaker 1: those bodies. But you all appointing the people who set 487 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: the rules for how you all hold office isn't really 488 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:59,920 Speaker 1: like you're appointing your own referees and then we're expecting 489 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:01,680 Speaker 1: them to hold you accountable. Like it's it's just a 490 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 1: wild proposition. Here's how one voter described her voting experience 491 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: in Georgia. And I don't feel like this is happening 492 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,359 Speaker 1: at all polls. I'm in a three H three three 493 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: one zip code and I feel like most of the 494 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: problems that occurred and this is what we were told 495 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,959 Speaker 1: that certain polling UM locations have problems, and I do 496 00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 1: believe it's I think it's targeted. Another thing they did 497 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,800 Speaker 1: that directly targets Fulton County in particular, is forbidding the 498 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: use of mobile vans for voting mobile voting. This is 499 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: also something that was done in Harris County UM in 500 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,080 Speaker 1: Texas UM, and so like that helps because you know, 501 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: Fulton County, Gwinnette County, the metro Alanta County is in particular, 502 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 1: are often burdened with the very long lines, and so 503 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: mobile voting was something that was implemented to help alleviate 504 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 1: some of that. So it's basically setting up a mobile 505 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: polling site. So that was that helped alleviate some of that. So, 506 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: like when they're talking about, oh, we're making it easier, 507 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:00,520 Speaker 1: how are you making easier when you're restricting the period 508 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: within which people have to request an absentee ballot and 509 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:05,639 Speaker 1: return it. Because if you really want to make it easier, 510 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 1: you could have adopted the policy that several states have 511 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:10,880 Speaker 1: where you return the absolute ballot as long as it's 512 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: postmarked on election day or the day before election day, 513 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,040 Speaker 1: as long as it's received in a particular time period, 514 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:17,920 Speaker 1: it would still count. They could have went that route. 515 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,119 Speaker 1: So there are things that they could have done, but 516 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: they chose more restrictive means now. A lot of the 517 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: headlines about this bill have pointed out that it puts 518 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,439 Speaker 1: a new restrictions on how volunteers can do things like 519 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,000 Speaker 1: give water or snacks or chair to people waiting in 520 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:33,200 Speaker 1: long lines to vote. But it's even more worrisome that 521 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:36,440 Speaker 1: it sounds so for folks who might not be familiar, 522 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: like line warming is what is? You're keeping the line 523 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 1: warm and keep people comfortable who are standing in line. 524 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: I remember in UM, the New Georgia Project, in some 525 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,959 Speaker 1: of their electric protection folks, they literally sent a Mariachi 526 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: band to one line to keep people entertained because they're 527 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: waiting in line so long. UM and so, because we 528 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:56,840 Speaker 1: have these long lines because it depending upon the weather, 529 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: if it's in like you know spring, because we have 530 00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 1: very warm in spring time here in Georgia, or if 531 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: it's very cold for whatever reason or raining. You know, 532 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 1: people have handed out ponchos, people have handed out handwarmers, 533 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: food like snacks. I mean, you have pizzas to the polls. 534 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: You have the chef for the polls with chef Jose 535 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,440 Speaker 1: Andreas started the chef to the polls UM this past 536 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:19,360 Speaker 1: cycle too. So you have these other things that people 537 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 1: are doing, and they have tried to compare it to 538 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 1: a partisan electioneering in in the past, and you even 539 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,920 Speaker 1: had Brad Roethlisberger telling media that it was in fact 540 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: illegal and a felony. So before the state actually made 541 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: it illegal, you had the Secretary of State telling people 542 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 1: that it was illegal, and you had people being harassed 543 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:41,800 Speaker 1: accordingly because of his misinterpretation the statements of law. So 544 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,240 Speaker 1: now that it is illegal to be within a hundred 545 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 1: and fifty defeet, that's the same why that that hundred 546 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,560 Speaker 1: defeat feat Why I keep HARKing on that is because 547 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 1: that is the same distance that if you're representing a 548 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 1: party or a candidate, you have to be away. So 549 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:00,520 Speaker 1: they have compared nonpartisan activity to partisan activity, and that's 550 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: a very real attack on black and brown and other 551 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 1: organizers of color who have been trying to help alleviate 552 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: what we see. You know, we don't want people to 553 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,960 Speaker 1: be discouraged. So I will also note that because there's 554 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,760 Speaker 1: not anything clear cut and law, and like voting rights 555 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: law period, the way people have tried to kind of 556 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 1: just protect themselves to make sure they don't end up 557 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 1: being accused of violating any type of federal laws. Because 558 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 1: it has been a law I think since the forties 559 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:32,360 Speaker 1: that you cannot give anyone of something of value for 560 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:37,360 Speaker 1: their vote. And so unfortunately because of the discretion involved 561 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 1: and are interpreting, you know, a Secretary state like Brad 562 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: Robinsborg could interpret that as you know, giving something someone 563 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,680 Speaker 1: of value because they're in line to vote, which it's 564 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 1: like whatever, it's a stretch, but whatever. So how a 565 00:30:50,680 --> 00:30:52,600 Speaker 1: lot of folks have dealt with that is like anyone 566 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,280 Speaker 1: in the vicinity, whether it's the poll workers, if you're 567 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 1: at someplace that has security, if there are other people 568 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 1: passing through the general community, anyone can get anything we're 569 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:03,800 Speaker 1: giving out no matter what, right Like, it's a service. 570 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:06,480 Speaker 1: And you know when I when I gotta, I got 571 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:08,000 Speaker 1: some quotes when I was writing an article, like from 572 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: the piece of the poll folks. One of the things 573 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: they said was, we see this as a way of 574 00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:14,960 Speaker 1: incentivizing civic engagement in the general community, so we'll provide 575 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: it to anyone, right And I know that several lawyers 576 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:19,480 Speaker 1: have advised people that that was the best way to 577 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:23,360 Speaker 1: handle it as well. But now it doesn't matter who 578 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 1: you're giving it to regardless, just the very act of 579 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: being close to the poll location they have now decided 580 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,720 Speaker 1: to criminalize. And that is a very clear attack, on 581 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 1: a very real way, at something that is very commonly 582 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:38,280 Speaker 1: known to be you know, seen as an added value 583 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:41,640 Speaker 1: and benefit to communities. And so we're seeing this a 584 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 1: very real attack not just simply on democracy, but on 585 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:47,720 Speaker 1: our participation as you know, people of color who are 586 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 1: exercising and leveraging that power. And you know, a lot 587 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:53,480 Speaker 1: of folks are comparing this to Jim Crow. And I'd 588 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: really be interested in talking to some historians just to 589 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,520 Speaker 1: learn more about that post um that early the pre 590 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:02,239 Speaker 1: you know, fifties, sixties civil rights areas, so like you know, 591 00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 1: the late eighteen hundreds to like thefties, because it seems 592 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 1: like in some ways we're really in that period like 593 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:12,480 Speaker 1: post Reconstruction, where we saw very blatant, active attempts to 594 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 1: strip black political power from communities. This attempt to strip 595 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: black communities of power via curbing access to voting is 596 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:23,840 Speaker 1: nothing new after the Civil War. During Reconstruction, black folks 597 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: were attacked by racist poll taxes and literacy tests and 598 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:29,440 Speaker 1: other barriers to make it harder for us to vote. 599 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:32,480 Speaker 1: According to the Brennan Center, even though these laws are 600 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 1: over a century old. As recently as forty six states 601 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 1: allowed for voter challenges, laws that allowed any private citizen 602 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:44,280 Speaker 1: to challenge the eligibility of prospective voters on or before 603 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:47,160 Speaker 1: election day. Now, these kinds of barriers to voting have 604 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:51,320 Speaker 1: never gone down without a fight. Organizations like Black Voters Matter, 605 00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 1: led by Cliff Albright, have already challenged Georgia's new law 606 00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:58,240 Speaker 1: on the grounds that will unfairly hurt black and brown voters. 607 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:01,720 Speaker 1: So it's going to be interesting about like how some 608 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,840 Speaker 1: of this stuff even stands up in court. New Georgia Project, 609 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 1: Black Voters Matter, fund and Rise all filed. They fill 610 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: the joint suit the same night that can't sign the bill, 611 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:13,480 Speaker 1: So it's gonna be interesting to see how that moves 612 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: forward and unfolds. Um. But but the the voter challenges 613 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:19,440 Speaker 1: so so basically, and this is like something that used 614 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: to happen in the old days too, like you could 615 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: just go in or really white people could just go 616 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: in and be like, no, that person can't vote for 617 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: whatever reason or whatever, and you would literally have to 618 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: have like a white person like someone come vouch for you. 619 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:33,880 Speaker 1: And so it's something very similar like they can come 620 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:37,840 Speaker 1: in and just challenge anyone for any reason, And that 621 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: is very um intimidating, is very stressful. That is something 622 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 1: that actually is very insidious. It also kind of feels 623 00:33:45,320 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 1: like an attack on some aspects of the black way 624 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 1: of life. I know, I have older women in my 625 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: life who I call auntie and drop off mail and 626 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 1: groceries and prescriptions for who are not actually my blood relatives, 627 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,320 Speaker 1: and I wouldn't be able to touch their ballots. You 628 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,400 Speaker 1: can't have other people collecting your ballots for you. And 629 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:07,480 Speaker 1: again that might even sound logical to people, but you 630 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 1: have some folks. What about people who can't get around 631 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:14,040 Speaker 1: and get out? Right? Like we all know folks. So like, 632 00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: if I know people in my general like life, unless 633 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 1: I'm directly related in a household with them, I can't 634 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:24,600 Speaker 1: touch their ballot for them, right, But if they don't 635 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:26,800 Speaker 1: have anyone and a lot of us live in families 636 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,160 Speaker 1: and community like that, right where we have missed so 637 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:31,839 Speaker 1: and so, who know, I'm technically not related to her, 638 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:34,200 Speaker 1: but she's still my auntie or she's still my grandma 639 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:37,480 Speaker 1: or whatever. And it's not anything nefarious for I know. 640 00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:40,800 Speaker 1: One the root of this is so obvious it's racist. 641 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:43,640 Speaker 1: The root of it all is they are afraid that 642 00:34:43,680 --> 00:34:47,160 Speaker 1: they won't win elections unless they do this. It's not like, Hi, 643 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:50,400 Speaker 1: I should adopt better policies, or maybe I need to 644 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:53,319 Speaker 1: not be so extremists in our positions. It's like, no, 645 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:55,720 Speaker 1: we just need to do whatever we can to retain 646 00:34:55,760 --> 00:35:01,640 Speaker 1: and maintain power and make sure them darkies don't because 647 00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:06,400 Speaker 1: that's really what it is. Like I don't know, we 648 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:09,040 Speaker 1: talk about it, but it's like you and I both 649 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:12,480 Speaker 1: know what's up right. It's so clear. No, like no 650 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 1: one wants to come out and say it. They don't 651 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,719 Speaker 1: say it. They dance around it, but it's clear that's 652 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 1: what's happening. Anybody, anybody can see it more. After a 653 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:36,520 Speaker 1: quick break, let's get right back into it. Camp, flanked 654 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:40,040 Speaker 1: by a bunch of white male Georgia State legislators, signed 655 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:44,359 Speaker 1: the law under a painting of a slave plantation. When 656 00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:48,920 Speaker 1: folks are pointing to Camp signing that bill under a 657 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:53,280 Speaker 1: picture of not just any plantation, right, like what someone 658 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:57,759 Speaker 1: several folks have just pierced out the history of the 659 00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:03,560 Speaker 1: plantation that's depicted A y A brutal, atrocious you know? Uh? 660 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,400 Speaker 1: That held Like I think upwards of a hundred slaves 661 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:09,480 Speaker 1: like that with and then I mean also you have 662 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:12,720 Speaker 1: him flanked by six white men um which I believe 663 00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:15,800 Speaker 1: just quite take a quick glance, and that's like six 664 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 1: people who are above house inciate leadership. I mean, the 665 00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:23,160 Speaker 1: fact that you know, the leadership of our government is 666 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:27,000 Speaker 1: all white men in a rapidly diversifying state like Georgia 667 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 1: is quite telling. I mean, that's the other thing, right, Like, 668 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:33,280 Speaker 1: there is this real fear that they are losing power, 669 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:34,799 Speaker 1: and that's at the heart of it. But we know 670 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:39,759 Speaker 1: what happens when white fear controls um policy, right, We've 671 00:36:39,760 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 1: seen it. We've seen you know, folks can act like, 672 00:36:43,080 --> 00:36:46,399 Speaker 1: oh that KKK or white supremacy is just some white 673 00:36:46,680 --> 00:36:50,440 Speaker 1: that's some extreme outside thing. But unfortunately, a lot of 674 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 1: those same tenants, a lot of those same attitudes influence. 675 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:56,120 Speaker 1: When we're looking at the way in which people are 676 00:36:56,239 --> 00:36:58,880 Speaker 1: charged with various crimes, where we're looking at the decisions 677 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:00,880 Speaker 1: that are being made, we're looking at the way in 678 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,840 Speaker 1: which our children are treated in public schools, we see 679 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:07,600 Speaker 1: the very deep rooted nature of white supremacy across so 680 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 1: many fascests of society. So you can't just you know, 681 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:12,040 Speaker 1: it's it's not enough to just say this is Trump's 682 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:15,480 Speaker 1: big lie, Like it's so much more than that happening. 683 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:18,400 Speaker 1: And I'm just really like excited for the work that 684 00:37:18,440 --> 00:37:21,880 Speaker 1: you're doing in the conversations you've been having around this information, 685 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 1: because we really need to understand how these systems are 686 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 1: operating and what role do we all have to play, 687 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:33,399 Speaker 1: and we really should take that role. Seriously, I really 688 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 1: do believe that we all have a role to play 689 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:37,319 Speaker 1: and fight against if this information. And it doesn't matter 690 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:41,000 Speaker 1: if you are aligned ideologically you're a conservative, if you're 691 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 1: someone who believes in more moderate or conservative value, you 692 00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:47,640 Speaker 1: should want people telling the truth like you just you 693 00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 1: should want facts. You should not want to exist with 694 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:55,359 Speaker 1: people distorting information and blatantly lying. It's a wild time. 695 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:57,800 Speaker 1: We're in a bridget like, this is a wild time. 696 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,319 Speaker 1: It's a wild time. I guess that's one of my 697 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 1: last questions for you. What what do you think is 698 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,520 Speaker 1: next for the state of voting in Georgia? What's that's? 699 00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:09,399 Speaker 1: Where do we go from here? Uh? We keep doing 700 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:12,799 Speaker 1: what we've been doing, Like like I keep reporting, but 701 00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:15,840 Speaker 1: I've been reporting, I'm sure organizers like I just finished 702 00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:20,840 Speaker 1: interviewing UM Cliff Albright and UM some other folks Simone Bells, 703 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:25,359 Speaker 1: a former state rep. And UM, and we were just 704 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 1: talking about like what's next. Right in conversations with folks 705 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:30,920 Speaker 1: are just like, so, now what and so folks are 706 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,480 Speaker 1: you know, working through like what does it look like? 707 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:38,600 Speaker 1: Possibly as economic boycott strategy or continuing the corporateive accountability 708 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:43,040 Speaker 1: strategy as a pressure Pointuh, to paraphrase Cliff, just thinking 709 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:46,920 Speaker 1: about like the Georgia law has been has been passed, 710 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:49,919 Speaker 1: it's now that's up now that for that specifically, that's 711 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,120 Speaker 1: up to the lawsuit. Right, the legal strategy, there's always 712 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:55,880 Speaker 1: still the organizing strategy and working within the confines of 713 00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:58,960 Speaker 1: the new limitations that exist. We see folks continuing to 714 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,239 Speaker 1: you know, strategize or organized and just get more people 715 00:39:01,239 --> 00:39:04,160 Speaker 1: in the process. But that corporate accountability strategy, you know, 716 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,320 Speaker 1: folks are all hyped of about boycotting Georgia, and I 717 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:10,600 Speaker 1: personally tend to object to boycotts unless they are called 718 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:14,640 Speaker 1: directly by people themselves. As soon as the legislation was 719 00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:17,200 Speaker 1: signed them too law people on social media began calling 720 00:39:17,239 --> 00:39:20,440 Speaker 1: for boycotts of Georgia based corporations like Delta Airlines and 721 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:23,920 Speaker 1: Coca Cola until they came out against the law. Now, 722 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:26,799 Speaker 1: boycotts like these have been effective in the past. In 723 00:39:26,840 --> 00:39:29,520 Speaker 1: the eighties, organizers called for a boycott of Coca Cola 724 00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:32,040 Speaker 1: and other US companies if they didn't divest from South 725 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:36,200 Speaker 1: Africa to help end apartheid. But the differences those boycotts 726 00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:38,759 Speaker 1: were led by local folks on the ground, not outsiders 727 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:42,000 Speaker 1: on Twitter. And Noah thinks any calls for boycotts should 728 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,560 Speaker 1: be led by organizers in Georgia, not people who don't 729 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,320 Speaker 1: live there. But also, like with a boycott, and you know, 730 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:49,640 Speaker 1: I had folks, folks like well, you know, they did 731 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:51,440 Speaker 1: it in the eighties with CoA Cola. That was part 732 00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:55,879 Speaker 1: of a very strategic effort around divestment from South Africa, right, Um, 733 00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:57,680 Speaker 1: And I do remember as a kid, we did not 734 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:01,080 Speaker 1: drink Coca Cola or wear rebox because as of divestment, 735 00:40:01,440 --> 00:40:03,880 Speaker 1: that's like the only thing like I really remember, you know, 736 00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:06,960 Speaker 1: being a young child in the eighties. Um. That and 737 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 1: then by their early nineties, like a Different World episode 738 00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 1: where one of the characters had to give up or 739 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:15,520 Speaker 1: chose to give up a scholarship because the company had 740 00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:20,120 Speaker 1: not divested from South Africa, economic accountability, economic corporate you 741 00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:23,040 Speaker 1: know Boycott's that stuff can work, but it's strategic. It 742 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:26,520 Speaker 1: has to be led by impacted people who are very 743 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:30,360 Speaker 1: clear on what the goals are. I think Senator Warnock 744 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:33,879 Speaker 1: actually said this really well and an interview recently. Um, 745 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:36,840 Speaker 1: you know they're so busy asking Democrats about why the 746 00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:39,000 Speaker 1: you know, the Filibus and the Philippus are It's like, 747 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,480 Speaker 1: why aren't you asking Republicans about why they're not protective 748 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:44,279 Speaker 1: voting rights, like why they don't care? I think that's 749 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:46,439 Speaker 1: what But where we all go, I think we need 750 00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:51,080 Speaker 1: to have a very clear commitment and understanding that democracy 751 00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:54,600 Speaker 1: is not just some stagnant thing that just exists. It 752 00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:57,480 Speaker 1: is really an active process that requires us to play 753 00:40:57,520 --> 00:41:01,600 Speaker 1: a very clear, consistent role. So whether that's just being involved, 754 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,520 Speaker 1: and you know, even if it's being involved in your kids, 755 00:41:04,600 --> 00:41:07,000 Speaker 1: like if there's like a local school council or something 756 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:10,359 Speaker 1: for your district or your school, or if it's you know, 757 00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:12,880 Speaker 1: when you can and have the time, because I also, 758 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:15,919 Speaker 1: I mean I've been a single mom my entire adult life. 759 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,320 Speaker 1: I had my daughter when I was twenty um when 760 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:21,040 Speaker 1: almost my entire adult life not gonna this count the 761 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:23,799 Speaker 1: years their dad was around. But like I, you know, 762 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:26,440 Speaker 1: so I get being busy, right, Like I get having 763 00:41:26,560 --> 00:41:29,239 Speaker 1: multiple competing things. You know, I've taken care of other 764 00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:32,200 Speaker 1: people in addition to my kids, So I understand having 765 00:41:32,239 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 1: other things pressing on us. But we can still find 766 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:38,040 Speaker 1: a way to write off that letter to UM. You 767 00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:40,520 Speaker 1: know now that now with the technology is so easy, 768 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:44,000 Speaker 1: you can automatically send out the text to do stuff, 769 00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:48,279 Speaker 1: the auto populate the emails. I mean, we we can. 770 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:51,480 Speaker 1: We can. We can follow and support the work of 771 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: black and other organizers of color, not just here in Georgia, 772 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,279 Speaker 1: because yes, they're amazing people Georgia, but you know what, 773 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,399 Speaker 1: there are awesome folks thrown down all over the South 774 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:03,120 Speaker 1: and really all over the country. I think between Georgia 775 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:06,080 Speaker 1: and the Midwest, not to exclude anyone else the South 776 00:42:06,160 --> 00:42:08,360 Speaker 1: and the Midwest, I've met some of the most prolific 777 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:12,920 Speaker 1: organizers really grinding and working at multiple intersections of crisis 778 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:15,319 Speaker 1: right now, because we still do we're still in the 779 00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:18,400 Speaker 1: middle of a pandemic, and we have the democracy issues 780 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:20,839 Speaker 1: and then just the regular issue based you know, work 781 00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:23,680 Speaker 1: that people are doing. So I think about folks like 782 00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:29,239 Speaker 1: Mississippi Votes who the People's UM Advocacy Institute led by 783 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:32,759 Speaker 1: Rakia Lamumba and Mississippi Votes is recommitted UM. I think 784 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:37,960 Speaker 1: about work over in Louisiana, UM, I mean, and up 785 00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:44,160 Speaker 1: in Wisconsin you have uh uh lit leaders igniting transformation 786 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:48,160 Speaker 1: and block Black Leaders organizing communities. And those are both 787 00:42:48,239 --> 00:42:52,080 Speaker 1: organizations that have worked UM around multiple issues as well 788 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:54,759 Speaker 1: as elections and civic engagement, while at the same time 789 00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:56,920 Speaker 1: holding space for community in the medd of a pandemic. 790 00:42:57,120 --> 00:43:00,440 Speaker 1: And so these types of groups exists all over. Some 791 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:02,400 Speaker 1: of them may be smaller and may not be as 792 00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:05,239 Speaker 1: well funded, and that's definitely where like your support, I mean, 793 00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:08,520 Speaker 1: like we act like you know, donations don't matter, but 794 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:11,480 Speaker 1: like financial freedom, writers are a thing. In my opinion, 795 00:43:12,239 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 1: UM is definitely necessary. Not all of us can get 796 00:43:15,640 --> 00:43:19,040 Speaker 1: there and be there physically in person. Not everybody has 797 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:20,520 Speaker 1: to be on the front line. That's one of things 798 00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:23,000 Speaker 1: I appreciate about the pandemic too. I think that folks 799 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:25,320 Speaker 1: have learned there are different ways that you can contribute, 800 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:28,080 Speaker 1: and being like literally on the front line is not 801 00:43:28,160 --> 00:43:30,319 Speaker 1: the only thing of value you can do. Can you 802 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:32,919 Speaker 1: feed some folks every once in a while. That's that's 803 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:35,120 Speaker 1: also really valuable. So I mean, I just think as 804 00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:37,399 Speaker 1: we're wrapping up, like you know, and just thinking about 805 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:41,080 Speaker 1: where to go next, also sharing good information, sharing podcasts 806 00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:43,919 Speaker 1: and you know, like you're sharing articles like the ones 807 00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:46,400 Speaker 1: I write, Like that goes a long way because we 808 00:43:46,440 --> 00:43:49,759 Speaker 1: don't necessarily have the same distribution networks that the other 809 00:43:49,800 --> 00:43:52,560 Speaker 1: side does, and so we need to get our information 810 00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:54,920 Speaker 1: out there. I'll just share a real quick personal story, 811 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:57,680 Speaker 1: like I've had these conversations with my mother about codes 812 00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:01,640 Speaker 1: sharing bad information about COVID, whether the vaccine or whatever, 813 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:04,840 Speaker 1: and she and it's the same thing. They target black folks. 814 00:44:05,160 --> 00:44:08,600 Speaker 1: It sounds kind of right, right, like it makes kind 815 00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:10,719 Speaker 1: of sense. They get you hooked in. But I had 816 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:12,919 Speaker 1: to walk through with my mom. I had to point 817 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:15,640 Speaker 1: her two black doctors she should be following. And one 818 00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:17,200 Speaker 1: thing she said, well, she goes, well, if they're saying 819 00:44:17,239 --> 00:44:20,400 Speaker 1: such a good information, why isn't there information be shared everywhere? 820 00:44:20,440 --> 00:44:23,600 Speaker 1: I said, unfortunately, because of the way these algorithms work, 821 00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:27,479 Speaker 1: the way the sharing systems work. She was like, oh, well, 822 00:44:27,880 --> 00:44:30,279 Speaker 1: so I'm taking the time to just talk to our folks, right, 823 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:33,480 Speaker 1: Like that's that's super critical. A lot of people have 824 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:36,799 Speaker 1: said the black vote saved us from Trump. Now it's 825 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:39,239 Speaker 1: time for all of us to help protect it. If 826 00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:41,560 Speaker 1: you're fired up and ready to get involved, check out 827 00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:44,120 Speaker 1: the New Georgia Project, a group that works to protect 828 00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:47,520 Speaker 1: voting access in Georgia, at the New Georgia Project dot org. 829 00:44:54,080 --> 00:44:57,200 Speaker 1: If you've enjoyed this podcast, please help us grow by subscribing. 830 00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:03,560 Speaker 1: Got a story about an interesting thing in tech, or 831 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:05,399 Speaker 1: just want to say hi, We'd love to hear from 832 00:45:05,440 --> 00:45:08,400 Speaker 1: you at Hello at tango dot com. Dis Informed is 833 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:10,120 Speaker 1: brought to you by There Are No Girls on the Internet. 834 00:45:10,440 --> 00:45:13,680 Speaker 1: It's a production of iHeart Radio and Unbust Creative Jonathan 835 00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:16,880 Speaker 1: Strickland is our executive producer. Tory Harrison is our supervising 836 00:45:16,880 --> 00:45:21,080 Speaker 1: producer and engineer. Michaelmato is our contributing producer. I'm your 837 00:45:21,080 --> 00:45:23,880 Speaker 1: host Bridget Tod. For more great podcasts, check out the 838 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:26,920 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.