Apr 3, 2020
The right to vote is deeply entrenched in the United States. Or is it? President Barack Obama shockingly stated that the United States is the only liberal democracy that makes it more difficult for people to vote. The United States does indeed have a long and terrible history of denying the vote to African Americans and other people of color, women, and the poor. The U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed many of the laws that disenfranchised millions of people. But recent measures have limited the impact of these important and hard-won laws--and people are losing the ability to vote. Doug and Robin discuss these new laws and their destructive effects, particularly on people of color. They also consider voting rights and procedures in other countries and the surprising rank of the United States on the global Electoral Integrity index. This uncommon conversation will shock--and perhaps anger--you but also empower you to protect this most sacred democratic right.