.
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Voter purges. Poll closures. Voter ID laws.
History is watching and if we don’t stand up to #VoterSuppression, we could lose our democracy for good in November.
Watch our live premiere event with Cory Booker, Terri Sewell, and Patrick Leahy here! Suppressed 2020: The Fight To Vote here!
Transcript provided by YouTube:
00:00
this is robert greenwald i’m the
00:03
president of brave new films the
00:04
non-profit has produced the film and
00:06
that is making it available
00:08
for free all across the country thank
00:11
all of you for
00:12
joining this zoom premiere
00:15
at a time when the racist driven attacks
00:17
on the right to vote are escalating
00:20
when the covet crisis is being used by
00:22
some
00:23
to stop others from voting and when the
00:26
census
00:27
itself is being manipulated the
00:30
importance of the fight to vote
00:32
against voter suppression has never been
00:34
greater
00:36
we are very pleased today to be
00:38
streaming the film
00:40
here and with indivisible and stand up
00:42
america move on democracy for america
00:46
brady black voters matter greenpeace and
00:49
now this
00:50
so people will be seeing this film
00:53
and the discussion today in many ways
00:56
all over the country
00:57
because it truly does take a village and
00:59
now here is the trailer for the film
01:06
taking down a key part of the voting
01:08
rights act
01:10
it let the dogs out it led racially
01:13
discriminatory voting laws
01:16
to just run wild we are witnessing a
01:20
tidal wave of voter suppression around
01:22
the country alabama
01:23
arkansas north carolina and georgia
01:25
which is becoming ground
01:27
zero georgia’s tight race for governor
01:30
is getting national attention
01:32
brian kemp is not only the republican
01:34
gubernatorial nominee he’s george’s
01:35
secretary of state
01:36
stacey abrams looking to make history by
01:39
becoming the nation’s
01:40
first female african-american governor
01:42
the democrats are working hard
01:44
registering all these minority budgets
01:46
civil rights leaders say kemp is
01:48
illegally removing people from georgia’s
01:50
voters list the purges they’ve been
01:52
going on for over a century in this
01:55
state my girl wanted to vote
01:57
and they were trying to keep her from
01:59
voting the lines was crazy everywhere
02:01
i tried contacting the georgia elections
02:04
board my vote would not be counted i’m
02:06
65 and for the first time i did not get
02:09
a chance to vote
02:12
we are not going to let them take from
02:15
us when our grandparents and parents
02:18
fought
02:18
to give us in the first place the
02:20
coronavirus pandemic is creating
02:23
concerns ahead of the 2020 election i
02:25
think that
02:25
mail-in voting is a terrible thing we
02:28
are here to resist
02:29
an id law that is undemocratic
02:33
unconstitutional and immoral on my
02:36
mother’s dying bed at 92 years old
02:38
former sharecropper
02:40
her last words were do not let them take
02:44
our votes away from us
03:02
against suppression it’s taking place in
03:05
many ways
03:06
by many people by many groups by many of
03:09
you
03:09
on this premiere today and i’m
03:12
particularly pleased today
03:13
to have with us some of the elected
03:16
champions
03:17
who are fighting hard and long to
03:19
protect our right to vote
03:22
in the battle to pass the john lewis
03:24
voting rights amendment
03:25
act a critical piece of legislation
03:29
thank all of you and we will start with
03:31
representative sewell
03:54
hi i’m congresswoman terry sewell of
03:56
alabama’s 7th congressional district
03:58
and today it is my pleasure to join with
04:00
other colleagues of mine
04:02
to introduce the suppress of 2020 the
04:05
fight
04:06
to vote a powerful documentary examining
04:08
our country’s shameful practice
04:10
of voter suppression as evidence in the
04:14
georgia election of 2018
04:16
midterms as a proud daughter of selma
04:19
alabama
04:19
and the representative of alabama’s
04:21
civil rights district
04:23
the legacy of voting rights runs deep in
04:25
my blood
04:26
i believe that there is no truer cause
04:29
more important to our democracy
04:31
than the access to the ballot box by all
04:34
americans
04:35
sadly this nation mourns the passing of
04:38
our colleague
04:39
my hero congressman john robert lewis
04:43
a hero in the civil rights and voting
04:45
rights movement in a staunch
04:47
long-time advocate for voting rights as
04:50
a little girl growing up in
04:51
selma the stories of john lewis’s
04:54
bravery
04:55
was as much a part of my upbringing
04:58
as any bible verse or family lore
05:01
as an adult i know that my very
05:04
existence as alabama’s first black
05:05
congresswoman was only made possible
05:07
because of the sacrifice
05:09
of john lewis and those foot soldiers as
05:11
john would say
05:12
he shed a little blood on that bridge in
05:15
my hometown
05:16
for the right of every american to vote
05:19
john’s courage and mentorship gave me
05:22
and so many of us
05:23
the right to walk the halls of congress
05:26
and of state houses across
05:28
this country i think it’s apt that
05:31
hr 4 the voting rights advancement act
05:34
was renamed the john robert lewis voting
05:36
rights act of 1965
05:39
and it’s been my honor to be the lead
05:40
house sponsor
05:42
since the 20 2013 shelby versus holder
05:45
decision which gutted the voting rights
05:47
act
05:48
i am honored every day to carry that
05:50
piece of legislation and because you
05:51
went to the polls in 2018
05:53
and ushered in a democratic house
05:55
majority
05:56
we finally passed hr4 out of the house
05:59
and it sits
06:00
on the desk of mitch mcconnell
06:02
languishing on the senate
06:03
and i know that you will hear from my
06:05
senate advocates who have proudly
06:07
supported h.r 4 and its passage
06:11
we know that we have a tremendous loss
06:13
with john lewis but we also know that
06:15
there are
06:16
actors afoot trying to make sure that
06:18
voter suppression is the rule today
06:20
and not that we have access to the
06:22
ballot box
06:23
i think that this film highlights that
06:25
in glaring detail
06:28
you know as i feel sad about the loss of
06:30
john lewis i know that he sowed many
06:32
seeds in so many people
06:34
the seeds of hope and inspiration we can
06:37
hear his voice
06:38
never give up never give in the vote
06:41
is the most important non-violent
06:45
tool in our democracy let’s make sure we
06:48
preserve it
06:49
i’m doing that every day on the hill and
06:51
i am honored
06:52
to be doing that with senator leahy
06:55
senator leahy of vermont is a lead
06:57
sponsor
06:58
of hr4 on the senate side has been an
07:00
advocate supporter
07:02
of voting rights his whole career and i
07:04
now introduce
07:05
senator patrick leahy
07:09
thank you very much congresswoman and
07:12
i was so appreciative times we could be
07:14
together and talking about this and
07:17
both you and i will remember standing
07:19
there
07:20
with our dear friend john lewis saying
07:23
we want this
07:25
so the the timing of this documentary
07:27
could not be better
07:29
actually couldn’t be more urgent
07:32
our dear friend and hero think of what
07:35
john said
07:37
he called the right to vote and i quote
07:39
the most
07:40
powerful non-violent tool we have to
07:43
create a more perfect union
07:45
just think of that we’re looking at our
07:47
watch americans
07:49
fundamental right to vote faces
07:52
unprecedented threats
07:54
voter suppression schemes are colliding
07:56
with the covert 19
07:58
pandemic and that could potentially
08:00
disenfranchise countless americans ahead
08:03
of the november election
08:06
john lewis’s thundering word just months
08:09
ago
08:09
echo even more loudly today
08:12
he said when you see something that’s
08:14
not right you have a moral
08:16
obligation to do something our children
08:19
and their children will ask us what did
08:22
you do
08:23
well i hope this film serves as a call
08:26
to action for
08:27
all of us every single one of us have to
08:30
stand up in defense of our precious
08:32
right to vote
08:34
john fearlessly did that all his life
08:37
and almost gave his life on the bridge
08:41
doing that so last month
08:44
here in the senate i introduced the john
08:47
lewis voting rights advancement act
08:51
i very rarely get emotional on the third
08:54
floor
08:56
but i got choked up talking about our
08:58
friend john
08:59
as i did that and i’m thankful that
09:02
48 senate co-sponsors are on there
09:08
they would restore the landmark voting
09:10
rights act whose 55th anniversary is
09:12
tomorrow
09:13
and help stop the scourge of voter
09:15
suppression
09:17
the house passed their legislation as
09:20
the congresswoman knows is a leader in
09:22
that
09:23
in december now the senate must do its
09:26
part
09:26
and mitch mcconnell’s republican leader
09:28
is got to stop stalling
09:30
bring it up have the courage vote for it
09:34
or vote against it don’t just hide it
09:37
and pretend you’re thinking of it but
09:39
being afraid to vote
09:42
i’m not afraid to vote i know how i’ll
09:44
vote
09:46
but americans also have to demand more
09:49
the covert 19 pandemics threatens our
09:52
ability to safely cast our ballots
09:54
and despite the president embracing
09:57
bogus conspiracy
09:58
theories and fact-free twitter
10:02
twitter rants in the middle of the night
10:04
a number of states
10:06
have successfully and securely
10:09
use mail and ballots for years my state
10:12
of vermont has
10:14
but we need urgently federal help to
10:17
expand
10:18
nail and voting operations
10:21
time of covet that’s going to be
10:23
critical
10:24
for american safety but also for their
10:27
votes so that every single vote can
10:29
count
10:31
now the house has passed significant
10:33
funds to help states
10:34
prepare for november senate republicans
10:39
you know how much money they had in
10:41
their package for state election
10:43
assistance
10:45
one cent that’s appalling
10:48
it’s unacceptable americans have to urge
10:52
congress to assist our states
10:54
so we’re not forced to risk our health
10:56
simply to exercise a right that all
10:59
americans have
11:00
so i think the film plays an important
11:02
role it’s going to educate
11:04
america about what we have here what’s
11:05
at stake
11:07
suppress 2020 will inspire americans to
11:11
keep fighting for a change
11:12
i hope everybody looks at i want
11:14
everybody republicans and democrats
11:16
to look at it because this is not a
11:18
republican or democratic issue
11:19
this is an american issue
11:23
it’s an american birthright indeed the
11:27
right to vote is what gives democracy
11:29
its name
11:32
i was proud when john lewis called me
11:35
his brother
11:37
but i think of him when i think how we
11:40
have to protect this right right
11:42
vigilantly
11:43
john did this every every single day
11:46
with
11:46
every fiber of his body he’s passed the
11:48
baton to us
11:50
now it’s our turn to keep on marching
11:53
and i’m so happy to see my friend
11:55
senator corey booker he’s a strong and
11:58
respected voice
12:01
he’s one of the very few people in all
12:03
my years here
12:04
when he stands up to speak in our caucus
12:07
people
12:07
shut up and actually listen to him
12:10
because it’s worthwhile
12:12
so corey my dear friend it’s all yours
12:26
thank you very much it’s so good to be
12:27
here i i have to say that senator leahy
12:30
is not
12:30
only one of the more esteemed and
12:32
respected senators uh
12:34
uh right now in the senate but if you
12:36
look at his career
12:37
he will undoubtedly go down as one of
12:39
the great uh
12:40
most accomplished senators uh in the
12:42
senate history and it’s great to be on
12:44
with him right now
12:45
and terry sewell who is my friend
12:48
partner sister on the other side of the
12:50
capitol
12:50
it’s great to have you here as well and
12:52
i just want to start by saying
12:54
thank you to the makers of this film uh
12:57
i love documentary film and whether it’s
12:59
from
13:00
uh issues of our environment all the way
13:02
to
13:03
uh understandings how plastics are are
13:05
destroying our oceans
13:06
documentary film is one of the
13:08
incredible ignition points right now for
13:11
so much activism
13:12
and this film to me is at the crux at
13:15
the center of so many other issues going
13:17
on in our democracy
13:19
because whatever issue is important to
13:21
you the roots will always be in us being
13:23
a representative democracy
13:25
where everyone has a voice and your vote
13:28
is your voice we have come this far
13:31
whether it’s the 15th amendment whether
13:33
it’s the
13:34
19th amendment uh or uh by activism and
13:38
struggle we know from the 1870 15th
13:41
amendment we know from
13:43
the suffrage movement uh and the 18
13:46
uh the the 1920 amendment that these
13:49
came about because of the
13:50
activism of others as frederick douglass
13:53
that abolitionist himself said if
13:54
there’s no struggle
13:56
there is no progress and we stand on the
13:59
shoulders of
14:00
activists who secured for us rights
14:03
that we cannot take for granted we are
14:06
here because
14:08
of that voting rights act that was
14:09
struggled for uh
14:11
fought for that people died remember
14:13
goodman cheney and schwarner
14:15
died in mississippi registering people
14:18
to vote
14:19
and that fateful legacy of bloody sunday
14:22
where incredible marchers including john
14:25
lewis were beaten
14:26
savagely all of that effort helped to
14:29
get us a
14:30
voting rights law but i fear for my
14:32
generation and all of us
14:34
now in this current moment in history
14:36
because we’ve seen
14:38
through the shelby decision the gutting
14:39
of the voting rights act
14:41
we’ve seen states from texas to north
14:43
carolina
14:44
move quickly before the inc was even dry
14:46
on that decision
14:48
to pass restrictive laws
14:51
undermining people’s ability to get to
14:54
the polls in fact
14:55
a judge in north carolina federal judge
14:57
said that the north carolina legislature
14:59
wrote that bill
15:01
that restricted the vote with surgical
15:03
like precision
15:04
to undermine the ability for
15:06
african-americans to vote
15:08
and so you’re gonna see through this
15:10
film that we are in a distraught present
15:13
and it’s not getting better in many ways
15:15
it’s getting worse
15:16
we see as we are sitting here in the
15:19
recent days
15:20
uh our president really attacking uh uh
15:24
vote by mail and trying to delegitimize
15:26
it and literally
15:28
taking states like like nevada uh to
15:31
court
15:32
trying to stop them from making it
15:33
easier for people to vote
15:35
safely from home during a pandemic
15:39
he is preemptively trying to question
15:41
the legitimacy of a november outcome he
15:44
is
15:44
taking on the postal service and doing
15:47
things to try to
15:49
uh slow their functioning of the postal
15:51
service
15:52
which is vital to conducting vote by
15:54
mail
15:55
and we see this uh over and over again
15:59
as we face challenges and so we have
16:02
action to do now
16:04
to not lose ground that was gained by
16:06
sweat
16:07
and struggle and blood and even death
16:11
history will judge our generation by
16:14
what we do
16:15
in the face of not just trying to hold
16:17
the ground on the rights that our
16:19
parents and grandparents generation gain
16:20
for us
16:21
but what we do to advance that ground
16:24
what we do to make
16:26
voting more robust to do things that are
16:28
common sense like
16:30
what about voting being a national
16:31
holiday what about automatic voter
16:33
registration and more they can make
16:36
voting in this country
16:37
vibrant and and dynamic and that’s not
16:41
a partisan issue that’s a patriotic
16:44
issue
16:45
every generation as i’ve said from the
16:47
amendments to our constitution to the
16:49
activism
16:50
of my parents generation has worked to
16:52
expand the franchise
16:54
in this country and secure it and we
16:57
cannot stop
16:58
now and so i leave you with this
17:02
i’m here because of voting rights
17:04
activists
17:06
i love the obviously you have two
17:07
senators and an amazing congresswoman
17:09
but change does not come from washington
17:12
it comes to washington
17:13
by people standing up and accepting the
17:15
responsibility
17:17
that this is my country i will not
17:18
surrender to cynicism
17:20
i will not just say the system is rigged
17:22
and sit back and do nothing then you are
17:25
complicit in the problems this
17:27
documentary is powerful
17:30
but its true test will be whether it
17:32
helps to ignite you
17:33
to do more than you’re doing now because
17:36
if you do the same thing you’ve been
17:37
doing now
17:39
well we’ve been losing ground you can’t
17:40
expect different results
17:42
this is one of those moral moments in
17:44
history if you truly
17:46
truly honor those who struggle for the
17:48
rights you take for granted while every
17:50
generation
17:51
has to prove worthy of the rights they
17:53
inherited
17:55
by advancing them i want to thank the
17:58
filmmakers one more time i want to thank
18:00
my colleagues for being on this
18:01
but i want to thank you the viewer of
18:03
this film because
18:05
truly you have the destiny of our
18:06
country in your hands as the great james
18:09
baldwin said at the end of the fire next
18:11
time
18:11
everything now we must assume is
18:14
in our hands we have no right
18:18
to assume otherwise thank you very much
18:21
i appreciate you honor you all let’s
18:24
continue
18:25
the work let’s continue the struggle
18:27
let’s make our ancestors
18:29
in heaven looking down upon us including
18:32
john lewis
18:33
are proud that we have done that good
18:35
work caused that good trouble
18:37
got in the way made the sacrifice
18:41
to ensure that generations yet to come a
18:44
benefit
18:44
in the bounty and blessings of this
18:46
democracy
18:47
thank you
18:54
how will i be able to vote without
18:56
putting my life in danger
18:58
the black lives matter actions make
19:01
voting more important than ever
19:03
will this health crisis become a
19:05
constitutional crisis
19:07
am i going to be able to vote in
19:09
november
19:20
we have a historic decision today
19:22
striking down a key part of the voting
19:24
rights act a civil rights law passed
19:26
back in 1965.
19:28
the supreme court essentially said
19:30
racism is over
19:32
and these communities don’t need to
19:34
pre-clear these changes anymore
19:36
this decision leaves virtually
19:38
unprotected minority voters in
19:40
communities all over this country
19:41
it let the dogs out it led these
19:45
racially discriminatory voting laws to
19:48
just
19:48
run wild within hours of the voting
19:51
rights act being gutted
19:53
texas had a new strict photo id law
19:56
and within days alabama announced its
19:59
own repressive voter id
20:01
law we are witnessing a
20:05
tidal wave of voter suppression around
20:07
the country
20:10
200 000 more people would have voted in
20:13
wisconsin
20:14
if not for their strict voter id law
20:17
voter purges have become rampant since
20:19
the 2016 election
20:21
states have removed almost 17 million
20:24
voters nationwide
20:27
you describe georgia as the epicenter of
20:29
the current voter suppression battle
20:32
what has earned georgia that distinction
20:36
george’s tight race for governor is
20:38
getting national attention brian kemp is
20:40
not only the republican gubernatorial
20:42
nominee he’s george’s secretary of state
20:44
stacey abrams looking to make history by
20:46
becoming the nation’s first
20:48
female african-american governor
20:50
volunteers who are picking up phones and
20:51
knocking on doors across the state
20:53
come in and register to vote we are very
20:56
excited to register as many people as we
20:58
possibly can
20:59
what do we want when do we want it
21:03
today i come as one
21:06
but i stand as ten thousand
21:16
back that veneer
21:18
[Applause]
21:22
and you see something really rotten
21:24
happening
21:27
it’s almost like termites coming in
21:30
they’re in the wood they’re eating the
21:32
wood away
21:34
and you don’t even realize your house is
21:35
getting ready to collapse until it’s
21:36
almost too late
21:38
we’ve got to understand this isn’t a
21:40
clan cross burning
21:41
this stuff is very bureaucratic it’s
21:44
very mundane it’s very routine
21:48
but it is lethal
22:01
[Music]
22:02
my name is bobby jenkins i live in
22:05
cuthbert
22:05
georgia uh the county is randolph county
22:09
i spent about 30 almost 35 years in
22:12
education
22:13
my superintendent of schools my name is
22:16
loretta brown
22:17
i live in morgan georgia and i grew up
22:20
in randolph county
22:22
i am the state advisor for the georgia
22:25
naacp
22:26
youth and college division my name is
22:29
louis brooks i live in thompson
22:32
georgioson county
22:34
and i’ve been living here my whole 89
22:37
years except
22:38
the two years i spent in service in
22:40
korea
22:42
in 19 i believe it was 55
22:46
or 56 that’s when they started
22:50
letting black people
22:54
when i went to rest to vote it was tough
22:56
they asked me all
22:58
kind of questions tried to keep me from
23:01
rushing i passed the test
23:04
once i got my vote right i decided i
23:07
wasn’t gonna
23:08
let anything stop me from voting
23:10
[Music]
23:15
because i used to walk
23:17
[Music]
23:19
you go up the street in across the
23:22
next street over there i walk over that
23:24
and walk back and go
23:27
and i didn’t miss a voting except
23:30
when they closed the poll i’m a citizen
23:33
it’s my right to vote and speak my
23:35
opinion
23:44
i saw this ad saying that there was a
23:46
proposal to close seven of the nine
23:49
precincts in randolph county i said what
23:52
then they put it in the papers that
23:55
these clothing
23:56
holes costing them too much money
23:59
first of all randolph is a poor county
24:01
just to give you an example of what it
24:03
would mean as a community benevolence a
24:05
little north of town
24:08
had that precinct been closed some of
24:10
those individuals would have to go 30
24:13
miles
24:14
round trip in order to vote it would
24:17
have been a terrible
24:18
hardship on our poor on our elderly and
24:20
on those who are least able to afford
24:23
transportation you know i got disabled
24:26
and i couldn’t do no driving
24:28
i know i couldn’t afford to go that far
24:30
to vote
24:32
this was on the black neighborhood it
24:34
made me feel like they were closing down
24:37
to keep the black people from voting
24:38
called most black people vote democrat
24:40
when they own the club one fight voting
24:42
place
24:43
everybody might hand the black said to
24:45
go clean over there to the white section
24:46
to vote
24:48
we’re human and we have our rights to
24:51
vote just like everybody else
24:55
voters in randolph county georgia are
24:57
outraged randolph county residents
24:59
expressed their concerns with the board
25:01
of elections
25:02
our citizens turned out in full force
25:06
they were behind us 100 percent trying
25:09
to keep those polling places open
25:11
convenience of the vote you all are not
25:14
considering that
25:16
at all there’s no disenfranchisement for
25:19
the
25:19
african-americans i went to the meeting
25:22
find out that they were trying to close
25:25
seven of the
25:26
precincts got to stand up you cannot
25:29
allow this to continue
25:30
they gave a couple of reasons saying it
25:33
would save money
25:45
the other one was that several of the
25:47
polling places
25:48
were not ada compliant but the thing
25:51
that was so ironic is we voted that way
25:54
in may you know they weren’t any worse
25:56
november than they were in may
25:58
it will be impossible for rural voters
26:00
without vehicles to vote
26:02
on election day it will be impossible
26:05
for them
26:05
they will have to walk three and a half
26:07
hours just to get from one of these
26:09
polling places
26:10
to cuthbert and shellman we
26:13
did petition to keep it open pressure
26:17
from
26:17
the residents civil rights organization
26:20
speaking up speaking out
26:29
they called the meeting to order and
26:32
they only had one
26:36
motion
26:39
i voted to keep them open
26:41
[Applause]
26:44
the news what was happening here in
26:45
randolph county went worldwide
26:47
the incident that we experienced through
26:49
the spotlight on
26:50
everything else that had been going on
26:53
you know we find out that in the state
26:56
of georgia there were two over 200
26:59
other polling places had been closed
27:04
if you move a pole four miles it is the
27:08
equivalent
27:08
of a 20 drop in black voter turnout
27:12
that’s what shutting down these poles
27:18
mean
27:35
with two months to go the race is
27:37
heating up in georgia stacey abrams
27:39
campaign feel they have the momentum
27:40
behind them
27:41
and many of the posts we’ve seen so far
27:43
support that you know the democrats are
27:45
working hard
27:46
registering voters if they can do that
27:49
they can win these elections in november
27:52
there’s no law
27:53
in georgia that requires the secretary
27:56
of state
27:56
to process voter registration forms on a
27:59
particular timeline
28:01
camp withheld putting the names of
28:04
thousands
28:04
on the voter registration list until
28:06
after the election
28:08
eighty percent were african americans
28:11
latinos
28:12
and asian americans
28:17
[Music]
28:19
this is fulton county
28:24
linda marshall was my name
28:30
most of my professional career
28:33
has been in public service of one kind
28:35
or another as a teacher
28:37
as a government worker
28:39
[Music]
28:41
i moved here in august of this year
28:44
but because of my emphasis on always
28:47
being registered
28:49
and always having the ability to vote i
28:52
did that almost
28:53
immediately when i got here of course i
28:56
also knew the importance of the
28:59
upcoming election and i wanted to be
29:02
a part of that history
29:07
i got closer and closer and closer to
29:10
the election and i was getting
29:12
a little bit concerned so i called the
29:14
secretary of state’s office
29:17
my name is not on the roll they can’t
29:19
tell me where it is
29:22
so all of that paperwork that i sent in
29:25
i don’t know where it is
29:27
[Music]
29:30
i’m 65 and for the first time i did not
29:34
get a chance to vote
29:36
in a very close election
29:40
of historic importance and proportion
29:45
welcome to georgia
29:54
[Music]
30:01
the midterm election in georgia is only
30:04
29 days away
30:10
civil rights leaders say kemp is
30:12
illegally removing people from
30:13
georgia’s voters list republican brian
30:16
kemp has already gotten the backing of
30:17
our current president
30:18
thousands of purged from georgia’s
30:30
there has been instance after instance
30:32
of
30:33
unlawful voter purging states are
30:36
removing voters many of whom have
30:38
actually been found to have been
30:40
eligible but were unlawfully removed
30:42
from the rolls
30:49
i received the purge notice
30:53
so i open it up and i read the first
30:55
sentence
30:59
i along with 380 000
31:02
georgians received the same notice
31:04
that’s an especially pernicious way to
31:07
prevent people from voting
31:09
because once you register to vote you
31:11
would think
31:12
that you should be able to remain on the
31:14
rolls and once you’re removed from the
31:15
rolls
31:16
you cannot vote
31:19
[Music]
31:27
i went out and got the mail and there
31:28
were two letters in there they looked
31:30
official
31:30
you’re hereby notified that the city of
31:32
thunderbolt has challenged your right to
31:34
vote
31:35
the city of thunderbolt states that you
31:37
no longer reside within the municipality
31:39
my license is valid my address is valid
31:42
i own this home
31:44
why are you questioning my right to vote
31:57
you know the purges they’ve been going
31:59
on for
32:00
decades maybe over a century in this
32:03
state
32:06
if you haven’t voted in the last few
32:08
elections they’ll purge you
32:10
as if you must not be in the state
32:12
anymore
32:14
if you move within the same county
32:16
they’ll purge you
32:18
assuming you’re not living in georgia
32:20
anymore
32:21
if you don’t return a postcard from the
32:23
secretary of state
32:24
they’ll purge you because to them it
32:27
means you’re not a resident at this
32:29
address
32:30
all of these tactics specifically and
32:33
disproportionately
32:34
target people of color poor people the
32:37
elderly
32:38
all of whom tend to vote for democrats
32:41
brian kemp is notorious for erasing the
32:44
polls and purging people right before
32:46
the election deadline
32:49
you have a candidate at the top of the
32:53
ticket
32:53
who is responsible for maintaining the
32:56
integrity of the election
32:58
he needed to have his hands on the
33:00
levers you have
33:01
an umpire who is also playing
33:05
in the game
33:12
[Music]
33:21
less than 20 days away from the midterms
33:23
now the race for georgia’s governorship
33:25
is a toss-up literally is a dead heat
33:28
this governor’s race is already won for
33:30
the history books but it’s also seeing
33:31
record numbers of requests for absentee
33:33
ballots especially from
33:35
african-american voters at a time where
33:37
we’re seeing roughly almost
33:38
half of the people who’ve turned into
33:40
absentee ballot are people of color
33:42
that’s a really really good sign for
33:44
stacey abrams
33:49
we caught them off guard by running such
33:52
a large scale
33:53
program and mailed 1.6 million african
33:56
americans an absentee ballot in
33:58
application
33:59
in this midterm election the absentee
34:01
ballot requests are even
34:03
outperforming presidential year so that
34:05
is that is startling and eye-popping and
34:07
something that we need to dig in on
34:09
to see what’s going on there
34:20
my name is norman broderick i’m in
34:22
potter springs georgia
34:23
cobb county i’ve did 24 years in the
34:26
military
34:28
deployed to iraq twice bosnia
34:31
saudi arabia i voted absentee before
34:34
when i was deployed
34:35
when i was in rank the first time i
34:37
voted absentee and when i was in iraq
34:39
the second time i voted absentee
34:41
the absentee ballot is a very important
34:43
tool that exists
34:44
to allow people not only just the
34:46
military but anybody who happens to be
34:47
away
34:48
from their voting station to be able to
34:51
cast their vote
34:53
[Music]
34:56
my name is peggy shu i’m from johns
34:59
creek georgia
35:00
i left georgia for dc in the beginning
35:03
of october
35:04
and before i left i mailed out my
35:06
absentee ballot application
35:08
so that our registrar would send an
35:10
absolute ballot to my new dc address
35:13
i work at a u.s army central which is
35:16
located at shaw air force base
35:18
in sumter south carolina i’m away from
35:20
home during the week
35:22
i knew i wasn’t going to be able to get
35:23
back to georgia to vote i could only do
35:25
this absentee
35:26
i filled out everything i was supposed
35:27
to fill out i
35:29
sent their documents in i got
35:30
confirmation that it was received
35:33
and to my surprise i did not receive
35:36
my absentee ballot i checked my mailbox
35:40
every day
35:41
it was like nearing the end of the month
35:43
and so i started calling the voter
35:44
protection hotline i called my registrar
35:47
i sent emails and it was really really
35:48
getting close to the election date
35:50
and i just i never received my ballot
35:52
the election day came and went
35:54
and i wasn’t able to vote in the end
36:01
when i contacted my wife and asked her
36:03
about it
36:05
i think it was a couple of days before
36:06
the election i came here
36:08
and i tried contacting the
36:12
georgia elections board i was told they
36:15
did receive my absentee ballot request
36:17
everything was filled out correctly but
36:19
that they mailed it to the wrong address
36:21
she admit that yes they did mess up it
36:23
was their fault
36:24
but there was nothing i could do about
36:25
it it’s too late it’s over with and my
36:28
vote will not be counted
36:29
during the selection it was probably one
36:32
of the most frustrating things i’ve ever
36:33
experienced
36:34
after having spent you know my entire
36:36
college career very invested in the
36:37
political process
36:38
it was i don’t know like a punch to the
36:41
god
36:43
it still pisses me off to this day being
36:45
in baghdad
36:47
voting absentee was
36:50
easier than me and four hours away
36:52
trying to vote absentee
36:53
in south carolina i took to facebook
36:56
and like the millennial activist that i
36:59
am i recounted my
37:00
experience in a facebook post i wrote
37:02
this is what happened i wasn’t able to
37:04
vote and if you had a similar experience
37:06
let me know and my friend from high
37:08
school she reached out to me and she
37:10
said
37:10
i also had struggles trying to get my
37:12
ballot in voting absentee
37:14
so i submitted an absentee ballot it
37:17
came
37:18
two days right before election day over
37:20
the course of 48 hours
37:22
we had 40 people so many people
37:25
in our immediate facebook circle knew
37:27
somebody who had a similar experience to
37:29
us
37:29
people have requested it like far in
37:31
advance some people just didn’t get
37:32
their vote in
37:33
that was when we really realized that
37:35
this was not an isolated incident
37:37
it was a much bigger issue and a much
37:40
more
37:40
deeper rooted sort of phenomenon that
37:41
was going on statewide
37:44
i did speak with the board of elections
37:46
and he just dismissed it as like a
37:47
hiccup and he’s like oh like no you
37:48
don’t really know what you’re talking
37:50
about 40 cases not really a hiccup it’s
37:53
more of like a wake-up call
37:54
today we’ve worked to get answers about
37:56
the claim that thousands of voters never
37:58
got the absentee ballots they requested
38:14
the race between abrams and kemp is
38:16
literally neck and neck their fate
38:18
is now in the hands of voters the day is
38:20
finally upon us
38:21
the midterm elections are happening
38:23
voters head to the polls in one of the
38:25
most intensely fought midterm
38:27
elections the race for georgia’s
38:29
governorship is a toss-up i live in the
38:31
south i’m always worried about election
38:32
day
38:33
great morning and go vote oh yeah gotta
38:35
go vote today
38:41
voting started here in georgia this
38:43
morning and if you think hitting the
38:44
polls early will keep you from getting
38:45
stuck
38:46
on long lines think again
38:55
voter protection hotline how can i help
38:56
you voter protection hotline
38:58
i’ve
39:04
i really thought i was gonna be able to
39:05
run and run out like i usually do
39:08
the first thing i saw was just people
39:11
everywhere
39:12
so we stood there for a while without
39:15
moving
39:16
and then we would inch up
39:19
and then we wouldn’t move
39:22
we had a lot of people with children
39:25
there
39:26
pregnant mothers elderly people some
39:29
people have medical issues
39:34
i took my son to school that morning and
39:36
then i went to vote at ferguson
39:38
elementary
39:39
where i vote every election
39:44
the line was so long through the school
39:47
and wrapped around the building the
39:50
lines was crazy everywhere
39:52
all over the county it was real long i
39:55
was
39:56
in line for two hours
39:59
i got to the door that’s when they was
40:02
checking your id
40:03
before you go in and she couldn’t find
40:05
my name
40:06
she directed me to go downtown when that
40:09
and i was like i’m not gonna vote and it
40:11
was this older lady she came over and
40:12
she like held my hand and was like
40:15
please go do it we need this and i
40:18
looked in her eyes and said i will
40:31
long lines at the polling stations lead
40:33
to low voter turnout
40:35
the research is just crystal clear on
40:36
that
40:38
everyone in the world knew we were going
40:39
to vote today and in my neighborhood
40:41
there are no power cords all these
40:44
dedicated people
40:45
waiting to vote this is what we call
40:49
voter suppression
40:50
people are like upset and angry i
40:53
started calling
40:54
the secretary of state’s office i was
40:56
either
40:57
hung up on placed on hold
41:00
they want people to go home and not vote
41:03
i ain’t going nowhere i’ma be right here
41:07
the reason they sent me from ferguson to
41:10
the downtown gwinnett was for the
41:12
provisional vote
41:14
so i drove 25 minutes and then when i
41:16
got there was crowded in there
41:19
i waited 45 minutes to find out that’s
41:21
not where i needed to be
41:22
she told me that this was the wrong
41:24
place and that i can go back
41:26
to ferguson i had to call back and redo
41:29
my schedule
41:31
so now the voting i only cut on my time
41:35
got all my money
41:39
when we went in filled out all the
41:42
paperwork
41:43
had the id took it up to the lady i had
41:46
mine in my hand
41:47
one hand had hers in the other because
41:49
she’s legally blind
41:52
so we go give it to the lady and she
41:54
goes to scan barbara’s
41:56
i did so she looked up at barbara she
41:58
said well miss barbara
42:00
when was the last time you my sister got
42:03
strong
42:04
i’ve been voted since i was 18 years old
42:07
and i’m 82. i was disappointed she was a
42:11
little upset
42:12
my girl wanted to vote and they were
42:15
trying to keep her from voting
42:17
since i became a citizen i have not
42:20
missed an election
42:21
i showed up and a very nice lady she
42:23
looked at my id and said no you’re not
42:25
registered
42:26
and i said no no wait a second here’s my
42:27
registration card and
42:29
show them that i was registered and they
42:30
said yeah but your name is del rio with
42:33
a space
42:33
but your voter id says del rio one word
42:36
and therefore doesn’t match
42:37
in the voter registration my name shows
42:40
as
42:40
del rio with a space my id
42:44
is del rio no space that was a non-match
42:47
i said this is not legal and i need to
42:50
be allowed to vote
42:50
after my discussion they said to me this
42:52
time will allow you to vote but it’s a
42:54
little bit like they’re
42:55
doing me a favor the right to vote
42:56
should be something that we should make
42:58
easier rather than more difficult
43:00
latinos and asian americans are six
43:02
times more likely than white georgians
43:04
to be cut from the voter rules because
43:06
of exact match
43:07
and black americans are eight times more
43:10
likely
43:11
to be cut because of exact match i have
43:14
voted in every election
43:15
all of a sudden i’m not there
43:17
controversy surrounds the state’s
43:19
exact match law that put the
43:21
registrations of 53 thousand voters
43:24
most of them african-americans on hold
43:27
because of discrepancies in the way
43:29
their names are spelled in state
43:31
databases
43:32
people of color have names that are a
43:34
little bit less
43:35
typical and that’s where the errors are
43:37
at their highest
43:39
brian kemp knows this
43:40
[Music]
43:42
a group of students will not have their
43:43
voices heard at the polls at least not
43:45
in georgia
43:46
they’re turning a bunch of students away
43:47
over here we’re showing up
43:49
here in at the booker t washington
43:51
location and their names were not on the
43:54
actual role
44:02
the student was being turned away i
44:05
talked to
44:06
over 50 students that morning
44:10
first they told me i was at the wrong
44:12
polling station they said you’re uh you
44:14
didn’t get registered
44:15
what do you mean there was only about
44:16
like what four
44:18
voting valley booths didn’t process my
44:20
registration my registration to go
44:21
through and walk back to my door and so
44:23
you know i guess i just won’t vote
44:24
just before i went to vote i had been in
44:27
an african-american history class
44:29
where we were actually talking about
44:30
voter suppression you know about
44:32
what was it like for people that were
44:34
going to vote i filled out a little slip
44:36
of paper gave it to the
44:38
poll workers they looked up at me and we
44:40
said it’s coming up in
44:42
our system as though you’re not a
44:43
citizen of the united states
44:46
i just sort of looked at them like they
44:47
had two heads like i’m sorry i was born
44:51
in new york what
44:52
when i got to the front of the line they
44:54
informed me that i was registered to
44:56
vote but not
44:57
in doherty county they were telling me
44:58
that i was registered back home in
45:00
winter robbins where i was from and i’ve
45:01
never voted there i’ve never even been
45:03
registered there
45:04
the thing was that i had brought proof
45:06
that i was a u.s citizen i had with me
45:08
my driver’s license
45:10
my passport card and my emory student id
45:13
but they would not
45:14
look at the passport card whatsoever to
45:16
prove that i was a citizen
45:18
i walked out crying what i learned in
45:21
history class
45:22
just hours before this happened to me in
45:25
2018.
45:26
i had been through and participated in
45:29
voter registration drive
45:30
on campus within the community it was
45:32
just like wow after all
45:33
this i’m not going to be able to vote
45:35
myself like when i was growing up
45:37
voting was a thing it was an event it’s
45:39
a little me is trailing behind my
45:40
parents watching them vote
45:41
my parents would take me to the voting
45:43
polls every time when i was little
45:45
i would go in and i would help them fill
45:46
out the bubbles i get a chance to vote
45:49
and then you get there and the
45:50
experience is just terrible and you have
45:52
to call your mom
45:53
and be like why is it so hard you never
45:56
told me to be this hard
45:58
this was huge for us because stacey
46:01
abrams was actually a spellman alum
46:03
history would have been made and it
46:04
would have been made by my spouse and
46:06
sister
46:07
if there is no one who gets to 50
46:09
tonight robin there will be a runoff in
46:11
december
46:11
we’ll find out as the day and evening
46:14
goes on
46:15
voter protection hotline how can i help
46:16
you are they letting you know
46:21
people who can’t vote there’s young
46:22
people who can’t vote there’s people in
46:24
every county who can’t vote it just
46:26
created this intense fog of confusion
46:29
across the state
46:38
in here for three hours four or five
46:39
hour wait five hours
46:41
this is way way too long for us to stay
46:43
uh and vote how long have you waited
46:45
online here about three and a half hours
46:47
have you decided you can’t stand you
46:49
can’t take it anymore are you gonna go
46:50
home
46:51
i’m heard not i’ll be back i gotta go
46:53
take some medicine
46:56
it was really good the lines weren’t too
46:58
long and everyone was super helpful
47:00
we don’t hardly ever have to wait here
47:02
it’s always a pleasant experience up
47:03
here
47:05
if you have a fixed resource an easy way
47:07
to suppress the boat
47:08
is to just make that resource
47:10
unavailable to the people who you don’t
47:12
want to vote
47:13
and that’s exactly what happened in the
47:15
2018
47:16
election here in in the state of georgia
47:18
in places like north fulton county which
47:20
are wealthy
47:21
there were more machines than anyone
47:22
could ever use in black neighborhoods
47:25
there were a quarter of the number of
47:26
machines that were needed to service the
47:28
population
47:29
lots of people left without voting
47:33
it was people just dropping off when it
47:36
became
47:36
two hours three hours fourth hour
47:40
it was very heartbreaking all it takes
47:43
is a little walking away
47:45
at 159 counties to influence an election
47:49
a little here a little there and then in
47:52
a race like this
47:53
which was so close there you go
47:56
[Music]
48:01
all night on twitter a trending topic
48:04
stay in line
48:06
[Music]
48:08
i had to go and pick my son up he had to
48:11
be picked up before
48:12
six i picked my son up and he went with
48:14
me and sat in the car
48:15
and then i went back to ferguson
48:18
elementary
48:18
and by this time the evening crowd is
48:21
there and the line has
48:23
tripled and i was like oh there is no
48:25
way just
48:26
for my one vote it took me like six
48:28
hours
48:30
and i wanted to give them because i
48:31
promised that elderly lady
48:33
outside that i would do it
48:37
five hours so about five hours took me
48:40
to
48:41
vote it sucks the life out of you
48:45
[Music]
48:47
i’d been in people’s homes i’d been in
48:50
their neighborhoods i’d held their hands
48:52
and so to get to election night and to
48:55
start hearing more and more stories of
48:57
voter suppression
48:58
to hear more and more from people who
49:00
were told
49:01
they couldn’t vote or who were turned
49:02
away or had to give up
49:04
because of four-hour lines
49:07
that broke my heart
49:16
[Music]
49:27
[Music]
49:45
republican brian kemp holds a narrow
49:47
lead over democrat stacy abrams
49:49
tens of thousands of ballots left to be
49:51
counted in this election
49:52
they were counting provisional ballots
49:54
for hours
49:56
provisional ballots are basically
49:57
placebos they’re being given to voters
50:00
to kind of
50:00
um shut them up make them go away the
50:03
next day
50:04
i was so excited because they were
50:05
saying that it was a close race
50:07
i was like oh let me make sure it in my
50:09
vote count so i called there the number
50:12
that was on the paper that i got from
50:13
the voting poll
50:15
and she go oh no they counting every
50:17
vote
50:18
you don’t need to call i called my mom
50:21
to double check
50:22
my mom worked for the poll for 20 some
50:24
years
50:25
and she said no that’s not true you call
50:27
back to make sure the vote count
50:29
and someone else says to the phone and i
50:31
got the same thing
50:32
no you don’t need to call back we’re
50:35
counting all the votes
50:36
we just started discovering so many
50:38
people voting provisionally
50:39
we realized oh you voted provisionally
50:42
so
50:42
you might have to come back here the
50:43
next day and show your id is that
50:45
something you know and
50:46
they’re like no no i already voted like
50:48
i’m good
50:49
but you have to come back within three
50:51
days with the documentation to prove you
50:54
are who you say you are
50:57
when you have a large working-class
50:59
population
51:00
that has to punch a clock that’s really
51:03
tough
51:03
you’ve lost pay from work trying to vote
51:07
that’s a poll tax
51:10
[Music]
51:18
how does this receive county elections i
51:20
wanted to confirm
51:22
if my vote was counted or not
51:25
all right what is your last name kimble
51:31
i see there was no participation
51:43
[Music]
51:48
goodbye
51:56
[Applause]
51:59
[Music]
52:01
last night my opponent ended her
52:03
campaign the election
52:05
is over and i’m honored to be georgia’s
52:07
governor elect
52:08
i acknowledge that former secretary of
52:11
state brian kemp
52:12
will be certified as the victor in the
52:14
2018 gubernatorial election
52:17
but to watch an elected official baldly
52:20
pin his hopes for election
52:22
on the suppression of the people’s
52:23
democratic right to vote
52:25
has been appalling this is not a speech
52:28
of concession
52:29
because concession means to acknowledge
52:31
an action is right
52:33
true or proper as a woman of conscience
52:36
and faith
52:37
i cannot concede that
52:40
i don’t want everybody to vote elections
52:43
are not
52:43
won by a majority of people they never
52:45
have been from the beginning of our
52:47
country
52:47
and they are not now as a matter of fact
52:50
our leverage in the elections quite
52:51
candidly goes up
52:52
as the voting populous goes down georgia
52:56
2018
52:57
was a case study of voter suppression
53:00
and as we approach the 2020 elections
53:02
we’re seeing a coordinated effort to
53:04
suppress from lawyers
53:06
millions of dollars and potentially the
53:09
biggest tool of all
53:11
the coronavirus the corona virus
53:16
pandemic
53:16
is creating concerns ahead of the 2020
53:18
election with no official end in sight
53:21
to the crisis there are questions about
53:23
whether voters will be able to head to
53:25
the polls to cast their ballot in
53:26
november
53:27
out of a large city of milwaukee we
53:29
almost got 600 thousand people
53:31
in the city limits they only have five
53:34
polling sites open doing a pandemic in
53:37
wisconsin today
53:38
thousands waiting for hours forced to
53:40
choose between protecting their own
53:42
health
53:43
and exercising their right to vote this
53:45
is so wrong this is just so
53:47
wrong stop playing politics with our
53:49
lives
53:54
the 2020 primary in georgia was like the
53:56
2018 election
53:58
all over again this is
54:01
primary day in georgia lines in atlanta
54:04
stretching for blocks
54:05
there were people and seniors who had
54:07
been sitting out waiting to vote for
54:09
more than five
54:10
hours this is wrong this is america
54:15
i think that mail-in voting is a
54:17
terrible thing if you ever agreed to it
54:18
you’d never have a republican elected in
54:20
this country again
54:25
[Music]
54:29
we are not going to let them take from
54:32
us
54:33
with our grandparents and parents fought
54:36
and suffered and died to give us in the
54:38
first place
54:40
we are here to resist an id law
54:43
that is undemocratic unconstitutional
54:46
and immoral people are demanding
54:49
democracy
54:50
new mexico now has same-day voter
54:52
registration
54:54
iowa colorado nevada florida
54:57
and arizona all passed laws restoring
54:59
voting rights to those formerly
55:01
incarcerated
55:02
maine has enacted automatic voter
55:04
registration
55:06
delaware and virginia enacted early
55:07
in-person voting
55:09
and in response to the coronavirus
55:11
pandemic michigan
55:12
illinois new hampshire and california
55:15
have all committed to expanding mail-in
55:17
and absentee voting
55:19
in the 2020 election we belong together
55:23
we are all part of the fabric of this
55:25
country and we understand what’s at
55:27
stake
55:28
any voter suppression law is not just
55:31
about
55:31
black people it is about america itself
55:35
when my mother’s dying bed at 92 years
55:37
old former sharecropper
55:38
her last words were do not let them take
55:42
our votes away from us no one
55:46
should have to risk their life to vote
55:48
and for the politicians that put you in
55:50
front
55:50
of a coronavirus firing squad
55:54
vote them out
56:02
[Music]
56:12
[Music]
56:14
see
56:25
[Music]
56:39
[Music]
56:49
[Music]
56:55
[Music]
57:14
thank you all for watching the film and
57:19
most importantly taking action whether
57:22
you’re seeing this
57:23
through indivisible move on stand up
57:26
america
57:28
brady black voters matter greenpeace or
57:31
now this
57:33
we hope that each and every one of the
57:35
thousands of you and thousands
57:37
who are watching this will do as senator
57:39
booker said
57:40
be ignited to take action the film is
57:43
free
57:44
so there’s no way that people will be
57:48
punished if they’re not able to afford
57:50
it and
57:52
most importantly we count on each and
57:54
every one of you one of the things we do
57:56
at brave new films
57:58
we put a face on policy and with that
58:01
i would like to introduce one of the
58:03
people you’ve seen in the film
58:05
kiara jackson who is going to talk about
58:08
her experience
58:10
with voter suppression thank you chiara
58:20
muted
58:23
thank you rainbow for having me and
58:24
allowing me to be a part of this film it
58:26
is
58:27
definitely uh touching thousands across
58:29
the nation
58:30
um i’m also honored to be a part of this
58:33
panel with you know such a prestigious
58:35
group of legislators so once again thank
58:38
you for extending this
58:39
opportunity to me um
58:42
that day so what i basically want to
58:45
get across is that it was very
58:48
disheartening
58:49
knowing that i’m a part of an
58:51
organization that prioritizes making
58:53
sure
58:54
our youth are civically engaged and um
58:56
to give a bit of an
58:57
introduction i’m sorry my name is here
58:59
jackson i currently serve as the albany
59:01
branch president of the naacp
59:03
formerly the albany state university
59:06
chapter president which is where i was
59:07
doing a lot of my
59:08
civic engagement in reaching our student
59:11
population making sure
59:12
we were getting out to the vote on
59:14
campus
59:15
so when election day rolled around and
59:18
you know i’m pumping everybody up with
59:20
my student body making sure that
59:22
everybody’s aware of their polling
59:23
locations
59:24
they know what the ballots are going to
59:26
look like they know how to vote of
59:27
course in their own perspective interest
59:29
and that you know they’re just ready to
59:31
just you know complete their civic duty
59:34
and go on about their days to arrive at
59:37
that day and be faced with so many
59:39
um difficulties and problems that we we
59:43
couldn’t have predicted was just
59:45
disheartening one of the ones that i
59:47
touched on briefly
59:48
and the documentary was the fact that um
59:51
i was registered in albany doherty
59:54
county uh the previous election
59:57
2016 presidential election and so
60:00
albany doherty county had been the only
60:02
place that i’ve been registered to vote
60:04
to come election day to my surprise when
60:06
i was turned away until that i was not
60:08
able to vote because i was registered
60:10
in my hometown an hour and a half away
60:13
an overwhelming wave of just confusion
60:15
just rose over me
60:17
because i was also being told that a lot
60:18
of my student body being told the same
60:21
things
60:22
they had been registered and these were
60:23
things that we made sure
60:25
to cover while we were registering our
60:26
student body to vote because often
60:29
times people don’t realize that in order
60:31
to vote on campus they have to be
60:32
registered
60:33
at their school address since that will
60:35
be the address that they will be at
60:36
um come election time so knowing that
60:39
you know
60:40
in our efforts to help register people
60:42
to vote and get them prepared for this
60:44
day
60:44
that the very thing that we made sure to
60:47
be
60:48
uh corrected on their registrations
60:51
was the main thing that people were
60:52
being turned around for turned around
60:54
for and it was just
60:56
confusing so luckily for me i am a part
60:59
of an organization that does have
61:01
resources
61:02
and informs its members of the resources
61:04
that they have when we are faced with
61:05
issues like this
61:07
so i was able to call somebody from the
61:08
voter protection hotline
61:10
and get more information about how i
61:12
could actually cast my vote
61:13
because at this point i’m determined i’m
61:16
not taking no for an answer and i’m
61:18
trying to get my student body involved
61:20
and
61:20
let them know that even though they
61:21
might have been turned around and even
61:23
though they believe or have been told
61:25
that their vote may not count or they
61:27
won’t be able to cast their vote
61:28
that there’s always a way to double
61:30
check and make sure that you have access
61:32
to the ballot that you
61:33
have the right to cast so after being
61:36
told that my mission was to make sure
61:38
that i could cast mine and get my
61:40
student body
61:41
in touch with the resources so that they
61:43
can also cast their vote
61:45
so from then on my mission was making
61:49
sure
61:49
that my registration was up to date in
61:51
the system because i know that it had
61:53
been and i had registered under my
61:55
school address
61:56
so making sure i had crossed all of my
61:58
t’s dotted my eyes and making sure that
62:00
our voter protection hotline i was able
62:03
to get in contact with our elections
62:05
office
62:05
and confirm this information so that
62:07
could once again
62:09
cast my vote so once that information
62:11
was discovered and i was
62:13
directed to a new polling location it
62:16
seemed as if
62:16
i just was not going to be able to vote
62:18
i was getting told the same thing that i
62:20
was registered back in my hometown
62:22
and that i had to drive an hour and a
62:24
half away
62:26
on a day that i had to be at work within
62:28
the next 30 minutes to go cast my vote
62:30
so once again just being determined and
62:32
persistent with the issue knowing that i
62:34
had been registered in door to county
62:35
because once again is the only place
62:37
that i’ve been registered
62:39
i just continue to press the issue and
62:41
ask questions
62:42
and demand information so that you know
62:44
if i walked away
62:45
that day not being able to cast my vote
62:48
i knew that i would have done
62:50
everything that i had had done to be
62:52
able to to cast my vote
62:54
and honestly that is what my mission is
62:57
now as an activist within the naacp to
63:00
continue to
63:01
give my constituents the tools that they
63:03
need to be civically engaged
63:05
and just keep everybody aware that voter
63:08
suppression
63:08
is very much still around tactics are
63:11
only getting worse
63:12
but if we continue to work together
63:14
collectively as a community as community
63:16
leaders
63:17
and this is something that we hope will
63:19
dissipate and also be corrected
63:21
legislative
63:22
legislatively in the future
63:26
thank you very much kiara and i’m so
63:28
pleased that you
63:29
refused to take no for an answer and you
63:32
know there’s a lot of talk about
63:33
patriotism this
63:34
these days but i must say with you and
63:37
many of the folks in the film and
63:39
many of the thousands of people watching
63:41
the film today and taking action really
63:44
are a definition of patriotism in the
63:46
best sense
63:47
and with that we have a couple of short
63:49
videos from
63:50
just a few of our many many group
63:52
partners those of you who are part of a
63:54
group and are not
63:55
participating yet please sign up and
63:58
someone from brave new films will be in
64:00
touch with you
64:01
in the meantime renato could you show
64:02
the two videos please
64:05
hi i’m sean eldridge i’m the founder and
64:07
president of stand up america
64:09
we are a progressive advocacy community
64:11
of more than 2 million americans across
64:13
the country
64:14
working to strengthen our democracy in
64:15
this critical moment
64:17
first of all i want to thank brave new
64:18
films for putting together this powerful
64:20
documentary
64:22
in a moment where we need it most and my
64:24
role today is to provide you with
64:26
two meaningful actions you can take
64:27
right now if you’re fired up
64:29
and want to fight back against voter
64:31
suppression the first thing we need you
64:33
to do
64:33
is to make a phone call for over 80 days
64:37
senate republicans have been blocking
64:39
critical funding that states need
64:41
right now to expand vote by mail early
64:44
voting
64:44
and online registration so that every
64:47
voter can safely participate
64:49
we need them to pass that legislation
64:51
right now before it’s too late
64:52
so please take one minute to make a call
64:55
you can text the word
64:56
mail to two one three three three the
65:00
word
65:00
mail to two one three three three will
65:03
provide you with talking points and will
65:04
patch you right through to your senator
65:06
the second thing you can do is join us
65:08
in reaching out to our fellow americans
65:10
to educate them on how to vote safely
65:13
this year
65:14
we’re going to be reaching out to
65:15
millions of americans sending texts
65:17
making phone calls to ensure that folks
65:19
vote absentee where they can
65:22
vote early in their community if they
65:23
choose to and to get registered if
65:25
they’re not registered or ready
65:27
and we need your help to do that so you
65:29
can sign up to become a volunteer or
65:31
learn more
65:31
by texting the word fight to 2133
65:35
that’s fight two two one three three
65:38
three
65:38
thanks for being informed thanks for
65:40
taking action hey everybody i’m megan
65:42
hatcher maze i’m the director of
65:44
democracy policy at indivisible and i’m
65:46
sure you are as excited as i am for the
65:49
premiere of suppressed
65:50
2020 the fight to vote voter suppression
65:54
is not a new thing but we’ve seen in
65:56
2020 alone
65:57
even more desperate terrible attacks
66:00
on people’s right to vote in this
66:02
country donald trump is sending tweets
66:04
about
66:04
how you can’t trust vote by mail etc etc
66:07
this documentary is an incredible
66:09
resource that really dives deep into the
66:11
details of this problem
66:13
and how we can go about fixing those
66:14
issues that’s why at indivisible we
66:17
love this film we are working so hard to
66:19
make sure that people have
66:20
access to their ballots access to
66:22
polling locations
66:23
in 2020 which is right around the corner
66:26
so that’s why we are
66:28
urging our members to call their
66:30
senators and tell them to pass
66:32
the heroes act not the mitch mcconnell
66:35
version
66:36
but the version that passed the house
66:37
the heroes act because that bill
66:40
includes election funding funding for
66:42
the postal service
66:44
ways for people to actually vote unlike
66:46
the senate proposal
66:48
introduced by mitch mcconnell which does
66:50
none of those things and that’s why
66:52
documentaries like this films like this
66:54
suppressed 2020 are so critical in this
66:57
fight
66:57
for a free and fair election this
66:59
november i’m super excited for this
67:01
premiere
67:02
and i hope you enjoy
67:10
watching and as
67:13
every one of our panelists has said and
67:15
as the film says
67:16
now is the time for action and
67:20
we have a variety of ways you can be
67:23
involved you can go to the website
67:25
you’ve heard from some of the
67:26
organizations so it’s time to
67:29
either mask up or mail in
67:34
and i look forward to seeing all of you
67:37
taking some action as we move forward
67:40
thank you very much
—
This post was previously published on YouTube and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
—
***
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The post Suppressed 2020: #FightToVote [Video] appeared first on The Good Men Project.