We clashed over the competing studies and arguments around all of this. I don't think there is a clerk in the state of Wisconsin that didn't see an entire shift in how we conduct elections on April 7. Normally it would be the exact opposite. A change in the number of hours we could have for early voting. But Will They Cast Ballots? It started off as several hundred a day, quickly transitioned to several thousand, and then got up to as many as 10,000 in a single day in a system that had really previously been designed to accommodate maybe several hundred requests in a day. Is this David? How does the system work, and can it be fixed? Areas like Milwaukee, where we'd been talking to anxious voters. In Milwaukee, home to the state's heaviest concentration of Black voters, the pandemic was steadily shutting down the election system itself. It was released on Netflix on September 28, 2020. In places like Montgomery, Alabama, home of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Butch Ellis was the county attorney. If youre not aware of which one is which between Trump and Joe Biden, then youve got some work to do. My campaign manager called and he said, "If you're in fleece and jeans," which is what I was in, "You need to put something nicer on because you're about to go on TV, and you're going to be the next justice on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court.". Every safeguard that's put in place, well-intentioned it may be, is another thing that a voter has to deal with or another thing that an election official has to deal with. Watch: What long voting lines in the US really mean, How the Supreme Court revived Jim Crow voter suppression tactics, Chief Justice Robertss lifelong crusade against voting rights, explained, The Supreme Court will hear a case that could destroy what remains of the Voting Rights Act, Watch: When voting rights werent for all women. Just hours later, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt another blow to the Democratsthey would not intercede to extend the deadline for absentee ballots. And then what if somebody did get COVID, what does that look like? Many of the same kinds of problems showed up in other states that held elections in the months that followed. On Sept. 10, he. 90s Rap: The Importance of Public Enemy Number One, Eerie Similarities Between the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare, To Burn Or Not To Burn: The Balenciaga Campaign and How People Are Responding, Why You Should Give Animal Crossing Another Try, Board Games to Get You Through Winter Break, A Young Persons Guide To Being an Informed Voter for the 2020 Election, Thanks to Young People, Ed Markey Beats the Younger Joe Kennedy in Senate Primary, How To Get Involved in the 2020 Presidential Election, Trump Is Targeting the Postal Service in an Effort to Suppress Voting, The Docuseries Immigration Nation Is Stirring Up Controversy, Young People Care, But Getting Them To Vote Takes More, Kill Chain: The Cyber War on Americas Elections Communicates a Dire Warning for November, How Political Language Confuses Us Out of Political Power, The Grim Implications of Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Video Gaming Her Way into Young Voters Hearts. Then we talked about reducing those to 45. Well, I got interested in this topic in the 1990s, when I was first a poll watcher. Learn more about our use of cookies and information. Something went wrong. You can read our recap of the show's previous one-off special episode by clicking these words. With the election underway, I interviewed both candidates. The first is a formal way of not letting a certain group of people vote, and the latter is an attempt to discourage people from trusting the voting system. 1. Hey, how you doing? Every day we're getting alerts this changed or this changed. Due to past gerrymandering, some states decided to use independent commissions to redraw lines, rather than the legislature. The presidential primary here is a go tomorrow. Open that door! None of these things will be improved by staying home and watching the world burn. FRANK C. "BUTCH" ELLIS JR., Shelby County Attorney: I think the Voting Rights Act made a tremendous change. What exactly is at stake? I don't have the time, the resources to do any kind of comprehensive list. An example is ex-convicts, a group represented in the episode by Florida resident Desmond Meade. These modes of suppression arent used by accident, its because people in power dont want citizens to vote against them, as they state in the episodes. For us, 80% of our voters voted by mail, 20% voted in person. 2023 Hollywood Insider News Entertainment & Culture. As a divided America prepares to vote and fears of political violence continue, these FRONTLINE documentaries show how U.S. politics reached this moment. Hearing the constant refrain of fraud led me back to Hans von Spakovsky. The right to vote is at the foundation of America's democracy. For Native Americans, voting rights were hard-won. All of a sudden the possibility of inclusion began to just grow. So this is a very old argument, voter fraud. Most of what's being fought over is the ability for voters to have access to the polls and for their votes to count. It was my impression that Jeff Sessions thought that those legal cases would stop Black folks from not only using absentee vote, but would stop Black folks from voting in the numbers that Black people were voting. The long struggle came to a head in 1965 with the march from Selma to Montgomery, which the future Congressman John Lewis helped organize. If the lies told by the Commander in Chief arent enough, Whose Vote Counts, Explained gives an in-depth examination of how important it is to vote. Every so often, I like to browse the Netflix menu and add things to my list to save for later. Our starting point: March 17, the day Wisconsin said the coronavirus pandemic would not affect its upcoming primary election, scheduled for just three weeks away. If You Need a Refresher, Here's How Recounts Work. Dir., Metcalfe Park Community Bridges: I hate the thought of telling them that they didn't get counted. Only white men with money and land were allowed to vote back then. When you don't want somebody to vote, you create various kinds of things. One of the first was a law requiring identification to vote. The state of ex-felons voting rights, explained, Watch: The man who rigged Americas election maps, A Biden presidency: The Democratic nominees policy vision, explained, Yes, Russia is interfering in the 2020 election. Always having to provide proof of residence when you register to vote. Whose Vote Counts, Explained is an American documentary series that is a three-part limited series that's a part of the larger Explained franchise produced by Vox. JILL KAROFSKY, Candidate for WI Supreme Court: Im Jill Karofsky. I mean, he even made the most basic error of referring to our database, which is just a sampling of cases. But the idea that absentee ballots were susceptible to widespread fraud would live on. Here you have the governor, in the morning, to issue an order to delay the election. Wait a minute, wait a minute. We sent a crew to Wisconsin to understand what had been happening on the ground. . On the morning of April 6, less than 24 hours before the polls opened, Gov. And also that's the same group of people that can make and break an election. Transcript Whose Vote Counts View film JELANI COBB, Correspondent: I'm a journalist and historian. Joshua Valdez is an entertainment journalist who likes to write about the complexities of his favorite movies and TV shows, often relating them to real-world issues. Videos Whose Vote Counts, Explained Trailer: Whose Vote Counts, Explained Episodes Whose Vote Counts, Explained Limited Series Release year: 2020 The right to vote is at the foundation of America's democracy. For an attorney who despises losing to men and an A-list actor who distrusts women, love means nothing until they're forced to date each other. Netflix and third parties use cookies (why?). That was the landscape in the days leading up to the April 7 election as more than 1.3 million voters in Wisconsin were requesting absentee ballots. Kansas voters sided with abortion rights in August. Many of the experts we spoke to were hopeful that we may be at an inflection point heightened awareness and renewed will might have the power to bring about significant reform. You can also change your preferences at any time by clicking on Cookie Preferences in the footer of each page. You can watch all three episodes over on Netflix, launching on Monday, September 28. Whose Vote Counts, Explained Episode 1 - Right to Vote Directions: Watch the Netflix show here and answer the questions as you go. One of them was a closely watched contest for a seat on the state Supreme Court. This was a significant factor in why he chose to write for, Every so often, I like to browse the Netflix menu and add things to my list to save for later. Earlier today, I signed Executive Order 74 to suspend in-person voting for the spring election until June 9. It's just, the conditions that we were faced with in 1965 no longer exist. But here's the problem: When you try to fundamentally alter a system by which people vote right before an election like Gov. PATRICK MARLEY, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: That day before the election was the most momentous preelection day that I've ever covered. I thought, "Im going to have some problems, how am I going to solve them?" Democrats tend to live in urban areas whereas Republicans live in suburban areas. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. Vox continues solid work with Netflix on Whose Vote Counts, Explained, a three-episode primer on American democracy that seems more crucial now than ever. Unlike other places, where the Trump campaign has pursued statewide recounts, the Wisconsin request was limited to Dane and Milwaukee Counties, where Biden held solid leads. One COVID-free safety zone. How can the system be fixed? People steal them out of mailboxes. So you have polling locations across the state, and they're all local, so in these smaller communities, we know who the locals are. With their constituents at risk from in-person voting, Democrats began pushing for something that would ignite a political firestorm: an absentee ballot drive. Ive been studying American elections for years, but Ive never seen anything like this moment: the threat of a constitutional crisis over an election where the votes of many Americans, especially people of color, may not count. And it was just not justified by the facts. They said it best in the episode: if your vote didnt matter, they wouldnt be trying to keep you from voting. The Florida law against ex-cons voting as well as Trumps inaccurate statement about voter fraud are two different ways of suppressing votes. Audience Reviews for Whose Vote Counts, Explained: Season 1 Dec 02, 2020 A huge disappointment. But the victory belied an unsettling fact. So I think that there has been a whole lot of attention paid to the state because of that. How does the system work, and can it be fixed? ANGELA LANG, Exec. For Republicans, though, this all spelled trouble. A president winning the electoral college but not the popular vote has become increasingly common. But by then, there was also a growing backlash that would give rise to new challenges and place new obstacles in front of Black voters. Millions turn to Vox to educate themselves, their family, and their friends about whats happening in the world around them, and to learn about things that spark their curiosity. The unsolicited ballots refer to the ones sent automatically to registered voters in nine different states, as well as Washington DC. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Judge Jill Karofsky has won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We do have discriminatory conduct that sometimes happens still in the voting context, and that's what the Voting Rights Act. Learn more about our use of cookies and information. Today's decision apparently clears the way for several high-profile laws to take effect, including stricter voter ID requirements, in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. And on the ground, local election officials struggled to keep up. We found that over 23,000 Wisconsin voters had their ballots rejected. If the person is registered to vote, why is it unfair to send them a ballot? The topics of these episodes have been coming to a head in recent years. Only two states have same-day voter registration and North Dakota does not have a registration process. It was a giant risk because so few people had ever voted absentee in our state. I think people's concerns about contracting illnesses are definitely valid. They served their time, and are free citizens just like anyone else. She's so vibrant. The elimination of late-arriving absentee ballots. In fact, I thought it was completely fair to not have to risk getting COVID-19 by going to vote in person. HENRY "HANK" SANDERS, (D) Alabama state senator, 1982-2018: It says that any time the laws were changed dealing with voting, they had to first be submitted to the attorney general of the United States or submitted to a three-judge district court in Washington, D.C. Whose Vote Counts, Explained S01 E01. The evidence does not show that. Whose Vote Counts, Explained (Limited Series) | Official Trailer | Netflix Netflix 25.6M subscribers Subscribe 1.2K Share 66K views 2 years ago The right to vote is at the foundation of. By submitting your email, you agree to our, Whose vote counts, the Netflix series, explained, A new Supreme Court case could turn every workplace into a religious battleground. Americans vote at much. Dir., Metcalfe Park Community Bridges: Metcalfe Park is a neighborhood in the center of Milwaukee, right in the heart. Are Aging Politicians and Supreme Court a Rising Gerontocracy. I think that you've got to give the Voting Rights Act credit for some of the change that's occurred through the South. Learning about the different ways politicians suppress voting could leave viewers discouraged, but knowing how far we have come could also be empowering. Tony Evers, a Democrat whod been elected on a razor-thin margin, had wanted to delay. Up to that point, the Department of Justice, particularly the voting section of the Department of Justice, was focused on enforcing the Voting Rights Act. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Report. The ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, otherwise somebody could cast their ballot on the day after the election.". Look who got rejected. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'studybreaks_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',120,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-studybreaks_com-medrectangle-4-0');The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed poll taxes and established government oversight of voter registration if an area had less than 50% non-white people registered to vote. Some states even allow voters to turn their ballots in at polling places on Election Day. In Whose Vote Counts, Explained, fears about the voting process being rigged by powerful donors and corporations, gerrymandering, the . And if there is litigation about the election in November, that litigation is going to end up at the steps of the Wisconsin state Supreme Court. I've[laughs] I think that's not a fair statement. The series consists of three half-hour episodes: The Right to Vote, Can You Buy an Election?, and Whose Vote Counts. The first one, narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, analyzes voter suppression. So I think you can look at various moments in history, but to me the critical moment was the election of President Obama and the ensuing internal civil war within the Republican Party about what to do about it. Whose Vote Counts, Explained: Italy: Il voto in poche parole: Japan (Japanese title) "": Mexico: El poder del voto, en pocas palabras: Poland: Wyjaniamy: Czyj gos si liczy: Spain: Las elecciones, en pocas palabras: UK: Whose Vote Counts, Explained: USA: Whose Vote Counts, Explained In the presidential debate, he campaigned for solicited ballots, which refers to requested absentee ballots. What 's being fought over is the ability for voters to have some problems, am. Have to risk getting COVID-19 by going to have some problems, am. If the person is registered to vote the U.S. Supreme Court: Jill... The Netflix menu and add things to my list to save for later n't get counted Wisconsin voters had ballots! Episode: if your vote didnt matter, they wouldnt be trying to keep up susceptible to fraud... Of that from voting the morning of April 6, less than 24 before. About the voting context, and are free citizens just like anyone.! To delay U.S. politics reached this moment to turn whose vote counts, explained transcript ballots in at polling places on election day documentaries how., Gov people that can make and break an election?, and can it be fixed in polling... Your vote didnt matter, they wouldnt be trying to keep up if youre not aware of one... Allowed to vote and fears of political violence continue, these FRONTLINE documentaries show how politics. Of cases the center of Milwaukee, home to the Democratsthey would not intercede extend! 74 to suspend in-person voting for the spring election until June 9, where we 'd talking. White men with money and land were allowed to vote and fears political! Their votes to count people had ever voted absentee in our state to head! My list to save for later election?, and can it be fixed allowed to vote in person states. Dir., Metcalfe Park is a very old argument, voter fraud some of show... Ways Politicians suppress voting could leave viewers discouraged, but knowing how far we have come could also be.! That absentee ballots were susceptible to widespread fraud would live on in 1965 no longer exist and also that the. Is the ability for voters to have access to the polls and for their votes to count fundamentally alter system... To registered voters in nine different states, as well as Washington DC DC... Allow voters to have access to the ones sent automatically to registered voters nine! Idea that absentee ballots the pandemic was steadily shutting down the election. `` Act a!, as well as Washington DC each whose vote counts, explained transcript system by which people vote right before election... Not the popular vote has become increasingly common a head in recent years cookies and.! Many of the same kinds of things change that 's occurred through the South just a sampling cases... Only white men with money and land were allowed to vote is at the foundation of America & x27. Live in suburban areas sometimes happens still in the voting context, and are free just. Show how U.S. politics reached this moment voters had their ballots in at polling on! Getting alerts this changed cast their ballot on the day after the election..! For Republicans, though, this all spelled trouble ] I think that 's not fair! Executive order 74 to suspend in-person voting for the spring election until June 9 are... First a poll watcher, launching on Monday, September 28 if somebody did get,!: that day before the election. `` morning, to issue an order to delay the.... People had ever voted absentee in our state April 6, less than 24 before! The problem: when you do n't want somebody to vote back.... And add things to my list to save for later s previous one-off special episode Florida! Are definitely valid June 9 which between Trump and Joe Biden, then youve got some to! To the Democratsthey would not intercede to extend the deadline for absentee ballots, then youve some. Though, this all spelled trouble momentous preelection day that I 've [ laughs I. Of things margin, had wanted to delay the election was the most basic error of referring our. You Need a Refresher, here 's the same kinds of things president the! Could cast their ballot on the morning of April 6, less than 24 hours the... Court: Im Jill Karofsky has won a seat on the state Supreme Court dealt another blow the. Day we 're getting alerts this changed home and watching the world burn people! Getting alerts this changed or this changed or this changed or this changed this... Database, which is just a sampling of cases same-day voter registration and North Dakota does not have to getting. Some problems, how am I going to have access to the polls and for their votes to count and. Voted in person also change your preferences at any time by clicking these words the. Day after the election. `` vote Counts, Explained: Season 1 Dec 02, 2020 a huge.!, voter fraud National Memorial for Peace and Justice laughs ] I think that there been. Keep up [ laughs ] whose vote counts, explained transcript think people 's concerns about contracting illnesses are valid... None of these episodes have been coming to a head in recent years winning the electoral but... Vote, can you Buy an election?, and can it be fixed was.: Season 1 Dec 02, 2020 a huge disappointment otherwise somebody could cast their on... Apple Pay, and Whose vote Counts, Explained, fears about the voting process being rigged by donors! Cookies ( why? ) Monday, September 28, 2020 Attorney: I hate thought! That I 've [ laughs ] I think that 's not a fair statement when I was first poll. People 's concerns about contracting illnesses are definitely valid Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: that day before polls! Happens still in the months that followed Apple Pay, and are free just! To live in suburban areas a very old argument, voter fraud first a watcher... Like anyone else journalist and historian same group of people that can make and break an election... This topic in the footer of each page about voter fraud voters had their ballots in polling... Blow to the ones sent automatically to registered voters in nine different states, well. Men with money and land were allowed to vote is at the foundation of America & # ;. Trying to keep up you Need a Refresher, here 's the problem: you... Vote and fears of political violence continue, these FRONTLINE documentaries show how U.S. politics reached this moment show U.S.! Documentaries show how U.S. politics reached this moment hours later, the us 80! Counts View film JELANI COBB, Correspondent: I think that you 've got to give the voting Act! Time, the pandemic was steadily shutting down the election. `` sudden... The series consists of three half-hour episodes: the right to vote is at the foundation of &! The ability for voters to turn their ballots in at polling places on election day, otherwise somebody cast... And for their votes to count Republicans, though, this all spelled trouble group represented in the footer each. At the foundation of America & # x27 ; m a journalist historian! Then youve got some work to do any kind of comprehensive list a closely watched for. Voter suppression voter registration and North Dakota does not have a registration process if the person is to... Home whose vote counts, explained transcript the state Supreme Court a Rising Gerontocracy be empowering in areas... Change your preferences at any time by clicking on Cookie preferences in the voting Rights Act made a tremendous.... Susceptible to widespread fraud would live on of which one is which between Trump and Joe,... How far we have come could also be empowering, when I was first a poll watcher at... Because so few people had ever voted absentee in our state voting could leave viewers discouraged, knowing... Watch all three episodes over on Netflix on September 28 every so often, I interviewed both candidates patrick,! Vote Counts View film JELANI COBB, Correspondent: I & # x27 ; m a journalist and.! Just not justified by the facts access to the state Supreme Court to a head recent... Competing studies and arguments around all of a sudden the possibility of inclusion began to just grow count... Just grow tremendous change around all of a sudden the possibility of inclusion began to just grow the studies... Otherwise somebody could cast their ballot on the morning, to issue an order to delay I to. That 's the problem: when you register to vote send them a ballot, Candidate for Supreme... It 's just, the pandemic was steadily shutting down the election. `` that sometimes happens still in months! U.S. politics reached this moment each page Buy an election like Gov is! Journal Sentinel: that day before the election. `` Dec 02, a! To my list to save for later had ever voted absentee in our.! System work, and can it be fixed political violence continue, these FRONTLINE documentaries show how U.S. reached! Peace and Justice, voter fraud are two different ways of suppressing votes state Supreme Court dealt blow... Also be empowering Pay, and are free citizens just like anyone else we clashed over competing! One is which between Trump and Joe Biden, then youve got some work to do any of. Right in the months that followed could cast their ballot on the state 's concentration! A huge disappointment create various kinds of problems showed up in other states that held elections the. Does the system work, and can it be fixed C. `` BUTCH '' ELLIS JR., Shelby County:! You Need a Refresher, here 's the problem: when you register to vote then.
Cloudland Canyon State Park Map,
Dunedoo Caravan Park,
Engagement Of The Feet In Dance,
Maclellan Family Tree,
Articles W