Joseph Whalen
We explore the controversial topic of voter suppression in this episode. We'll take a look at the various forms of voter suppression dating back to the founding of our country up until the present time. We'll investigate the various laws that on the surface were portrayed as a method of preserving the integrity of our voting system but in reality were tied to the ever present but rarely proven fear of voter fraud.We dive deep into the current voter suppression techniques employed today that are designed to manipulate, inconvenience and disenfranchise a large portion of the voting public. We'll discuss the corrupt, racist and anti-democratic motivations for such schemes and how they are eroding our political system.Finally we'll look to the future of voter suppression and the impact it will have on our country as a whole. All in an attempt to educate the voting public. Because if there's one thing politicians fear it's an informed, educated and motivate block of voters who are immune to the tried and true manipulative techniques that all politicians employ to gain themselves political office.
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Show Notes
[INTRO THEME]
[INTRODUCTIONS] (3-5 minutes)Show introduction: Insights Into TomorrowEpisode: #8 Voter Suppression Host introductionsHost (Sam Whalen)My co-host (Joseph Whalen)
[TRANSITION]
RIGMAROLE
Show PlugsSubscriptions:Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsStitcheriHeart RadioTuneinOvercastPocketcastCastroCastboxPodcaserTWITCH PRIME SUBSContact InfoEmail us at: [email protected]: @insights_thingsHi-res videos on Youtube:www.youtube.com/insightsintothingsStreaming 6 days a week on Twitch:www.twitch.tv/insightsintothingsAudio Versions: http://podcast.insightsintoentertainment.com/#Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/InsightsIntoThingsPodcast/Links to all these on the webWeb:https://www.insightsintothings.com [SEGMENT 1: Topic Introduction/Episode Premise] (5-10 minutes)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_United_Stateshttps://bit.ly/3g4wjJb History (Past)Voter suppression tied to voting rights, beginning of American democracyCurrent State (Present)President Trump, mail in votes, fear mongeringFuture/Solutions (Future)2020 electionVoter apathyVoting Laws
[TRANSITION] (Cohost opinion question ?)
[SEGMENT 2: Historical background/Symptoms and signs] (10-15 minutes)https://people.howstuffworks.com/voter-suppression1.htmhttps://bit.ly/3kORYso “U.S. Constitution does not explicitly include a right to vote” Only House of Representatives were to be elected “by the people” according to the ConstitutionWho are “the people”At first, only white, male, property owners. Some free black men“All women, non-African-American minorities and many non-Christian religious groups were denied the franchise”Post Reconstruction15th Amendment allowed vote regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude"1877- “Dixiecrats” begin imposing Jim Crow laws to restrict the black voteLiteracy tests, poll taxes, direct violence or intimidation“Only 3 percent of voting-age African-American southerners were registered to vote in 1940” source American Civil Liberty UnionVoting Rights Act of 1965Did away with many Jim Crow era tactics, allowing women/ minority votes to open upSegueHowever, the story doesn’t end there. Racism and oppression didn’t disappear, new voter suppression methods still in use today. Common Modern Voter Suppression techniquesVoter registration problemsNot all states require registrationConfusion on where and when to registerConfusion over what you need to registerVoter purgesLaws vary by stateStates can purge voters from registration if they haven’t voted in as few as two yearsPurges done selectively to disenfranchise minority groupsStrict Voter ID and ballot requirementsLaws vary by stateSome states require gov’t issued ID’s to voteThis impedes low income, disabled and immigrant residentsVoter ConfusionMisinformation from political parties to confuse votersMessaging from official and unofficial polling can be confusing and inconsistentIncorrect ballots invalidate voters choicesVoter intimidation and harassmentRacially motivated scare tactics often employed to prevent citizens from votingFake robocalls from hate groups pretending to be candidatesInappropriate questioning at polling locations to intimidate votersPoll closures and long linesVote suppression by imposing artificially long lines discourages citizens from waiting to votePremature or early poll closings occur to influence blocks of voters in certain districtsMalfunctioning voting equipmentFailures of voting technology, whether intentional or not alter and/or deny’s votes registeredAging and broken down voting machines at polling locations contribute to long lines and poll closuresExternal attack vectors of computerized voting tallies used to skew resultsDisenfranchisement of justice-involved individualsApproximately 6 million americans are barred from voting due to felony convictions that disenfranchise themLaws vary by state and are often confusingGerrymanderingPoliticians manipulate voting redistricting in ridiculous ways to shape the voting poolsThis is a blatant attempt to manipulate the voting population and has direct and lasting impact on election results
[AD1] (1 minute)
[SEGMENT 3: Current conditions/Source of Symptoms and Signs] (10-15 minutes)https://people.howstuffworks.com/voter-suppression2.htmDisinformationHighly popular and effective modern method2008 elections, Democrats in Nevada received robo-calls informing them that they could vote on November 5 — a day after the election — to avoid long linesTrump’s attempts to discredit mail in voting (https://abc7.com/amp/donald-trump-usps-funding-postal-service/6368807/?__twitter_impression=true)In the past 20 years, 0.00006 percent of all mail-in ballots cast were fraudulent. “There is no support for the argument that mail-in voting is a problem,” says Lorraine Minnite, a political-science professor at Rutgers University and author of The Myth of Voter Fraud.CO HOST QUESTIONDocumentary: The Great HackFacebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandalTrump Campaign engaged with Cambridge Analytica to microtargeting to influence electionCambridge Analytica was employed to influence elections in over 30 countriesUS, UK, Argentina, Columbia, Guyana, Uruguay...Voter ID (https://www.aclu.org/other/oppose-voter-id-legislation-fact-sheet) https://bit.ly/2Y6d4ZoACLUMillions of Americans Lack ID. 11% of U.S. citizens – or more than 21 million Americans – do not have government-issued photo identification.Obtaining ID Costs Money. Even if ID is offered for free, voters must incur numerous costs (such as paying for birth certificates) to apply for a government-issued ID.Underlying documents required to obtain ID cost money, a significant expense for lower-income Americans. The combined cost of document fees, travel expenses and waiting time are estimated to range from $75 to $175.2The travel required is often a major burden on people with disabilities, the elderly, or those in rural areas without access to a car or public transportation. In Texas, some people in rural areas must travel approximately 170 miles to reach the nearest ID officeCOHOST QUESTION/SEGUE My elderly mother was one of these 11%She never drove, never had a need toShe had to get a state issued ID when she filed for retirement benefits from my father’s retirement plan and for government programs such as Medicare and Social Security
[AD2] (1 minute)
[SEGMENT 4: The Future/Solutions to the issues] (10-15 minutes)https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/trump-campaign-2020-voter-suppression-consent-decree-1028988/2020 electionRNC has filed over $20 million worth of lawsuits dealing with voting“Some attempt to block litigation brought by Democratic groups to expand mail-in voting in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Others seek to invalidate state-level policies by saying that expanding access to mail-in ballots invites fraud.” - Rolling StoneRick Hasen, a University of California, Irvine law professor and author of Election Meltdown, goal “Casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election. Raising spurious fraud claims.”Continued disinformationUse of COVID 19 to stir up fear of the election being in danger when in reality precautions are being taken to save lives“The group has run ads that warn against “risky new methods” like mail-in ballots, and accused Wisconsin Democrats of sowing election “chaos” after the state’s Republicans refused to send every voter an absentee ballot or delay its April primary election because of COVID-19” Rolling Stone
[TRANSITION]
[CLOSE]Final thoughts/summary COHOSTCall to ActionUpcoming 2020 election, inform yourself, we only scraped the serviceIt’s bigger than just Trump on Twitter. Systematic and designed to control. Looking at the past helps inform about the future, especially with this topic. Similar tactics are being employed and are still working. Do your own research, make your own conclusions, and keep an open but suspicious mind.
[OUTRO AND CREDITS]
Transcription
https://www.listennotes.com/e/9cc3f7bddaf9405286e10fea697b654f/
