whose vote counts, explained transcript

In the presidential debate, he campaigned for solicited ballots, which refers to requested absentee ballots. It's not slowing down. Here's what could come next. ANDREW HITT, Chmn., Republican Party of WI: We believed that with the right amount of preparation, we could hold a safe election. And their fears are well-founded: Based on our review of years of voting records, more than a million votes might go uncounted in the upcoming election. Every state runs its own election process, and as Wisconsin was moving forward, others were pulling back. I figured that if Im going to be constantly watching things, I might as well learn something in the process. 1. How does the system work, and can it be fixed? Pennsylvania gave Joe Biden the 20 Electoral College votes needed to push him over 270 and secure a presidential win. Republican lawmakers almost immediately sue. Explain how the vote by mail process works. 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. Voting is an American right, or at least we would like to believe it is. Whose Vote Counts, Explained isn't the only project that dives deep into the U.S. voting system on Tuesday, Amazon made available for free its original documentary All In: The Fight for. Due to past gerrymandering, some states decided to use independent commissions to redraw lines, rather than the legislature. Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez and John Legend lend their voices to this incisive, informative deep dive into U.S. voting. We are simultaneously faced with a global pandemic, climate change, systemic racism/inequality, and a lack of competent leadership in the White House. Is this David? And on the ground, local election officials struggled to keep up. Republicans dont care. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. He also enjoys writing about current events in the entertainment landscape, and is always looking for interesting topics to cover. I was making dinner for my two kids when I learned about the United States Supreme Court case, and it was just a little while after learning about the Wisconsin state Supreme Court case. Voting is the direct reflection of our neighborhood's ability to thrive. Some states have created drop-off boxes to restore faith in the system. 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. It happened in 2000 in the race between Al Gore and George W. Bush, and again in 2016 when President Trump lost the popular vote by roughly 3 million votes. And they certainly weren't interested in a mail ballot. Every so often, I like to browse the Netflix menu and add things to my list to save for later. We are actively, physically and digitally a part of this global movement. We had real conversations in my house. WHOSE VOTE COUNTS, EXPLAINED explores different aspects of the United States's national elections. Albert, you can see thats him right there. Browse more videos . In Wisconsin, for decades considered a bastion of progressive politics, Republicans won both houses of the Legislature and a conservative Republican governor was elected. Rather than gossip, he focuses on how events in the entertainment world reflect on society at large. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This march will not continue. Docos as important as this should be reviewed more carefully. But not every vote is created equal. stated mail ballots will be sent automatically to eligible registered voters in only nine states and the District of Columbia. Evers made a last-ditch attempt to postpone the election. Voters who were locked out of the polls pounded on doors. We decided that they were "voter persecution cases. By what name was Whose Vote Counts, Explained (2020) officially released in India in Hindi? 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. It's just, the conditions that we were faced with in 1965 no longer exist. 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. We apparently have only seven years left to start taking climate change seriously, so go research which candidate does and which one doesnt. In our months of reporting, elections officials told us they were underfunded and overworked and increasingly fearful of what would happen in November. The judge said we can't do this, now the judge says we can do that. Issues voters are concerned about like gun control, education and student-debt forgiveness are not being solved because the party in power does not represent the majority of the population. With their constituents at risk from in-person voting, Democrats began pushing for something that would ignite a political firestorm: an absentee ballot drive. How does the system work, and can it be fixed? Voting does matter, enormously but it makes sense that so many Americans feel that way. It does a great job of misleading the viewer with out-of-context statistics. They didn't want people to go out and vote, but I know I needed to. Now Wisconsin Voters Are Trying to Make Sure Their Ballots Count, Students Registered. The documentary joins FRONTLINE's 'China Undercover' among this years Peabody winners. For the three episodes in this series, The Right to Vote, Can You Buy an Election? and Whose Vote Counts, we combed through piles of studies, analyzed reams of data, and spoke to leading experts whove lived these systems from the inside. Whose Vote Counts, Explained is a 2020 docuseries. Discover how your individual vote contributes to the popular vote and your state's electoral vote in different ways--and see how votes are counted on both state and national levels. I mean, this, on the granular levelthere are multiple, dozens of lawsuits. The elimination of late-arriving absentee ballots. Can we count on you to remind three friends to return their absentee ballots before Election Day? I talked about it with author Ari Berman, whos written extensively on voting rights. But not every vote is created equal. And it was just not justified by the facts. If you care about these issues, then use your power as a citizen and vote. If the person is registered to vote, why is it unfair to send them a ballot? Campaign Manager, Trump campaign: When you radically change the way people vote, what ends up happening is you create confusion, you create chaos and you disenfranchise voters because you're not allowing them to vote in the way they traditionally would. Claire Woodall-Vogg was second in command at the Milwaukee Election Commission when the absentee ballot requests started coming in. NEIL ALBRECHT, Exec. If you want to register by mail, a required copy of your ID or a copy of your energy bill or a copy of your bank statement. Legislators knew at the time the law was passed that some Wisconsinites didn't have those forms of ID, they knew it was on the order of several hundred thousand people and they knew that people of color were even less likely to have those kinds of ID. Explore a selection of FRONTLINE's reporting related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. However, redistricting is left to state legislatures, where the party currently in the majority often redraws the lines to help their candidates win. Elections arent just a measure of what parties and candidates people prefer; theyre a measure of who counts in a country. Whose Vote Counts, Explained is a three-part limited series that's a part of the larger Explained franchise produced by Vox. HDmilkmakeupHD. Hearing the constant refrain of fraud led me back to Hans von Spakovsky. But the victory belied an unsettling fact. Hey, how you doing? Other states would follow Wisconsin with their own voter ID laws And then came efforts to dismantle the fundamental provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Netflix and third parties use cookies and similar technologies on this website to collect information about your browsing activities which we use to analyse your use of the website, to personalise our services and to customise our online advertisements. Voting for candidates that are closest aligned to your ideals is the way to use your power as a citizen to fight against this suppression. In fact, I thought it was completely fair to not have to risk getting COVID-19 by going to vote in person. 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. As a DC resident, I was sent a ballot without formally requesting it, and I didnt think it was unfair. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. PROF. BARRY C. BURDEN, Political science, UW-Madison: There was a tremendous amount of advertising, a record amount of campaign spending happening in that race to try to control the ideological balance of the court. Melody was expressing a fundamental principle about democracy: one person, one vote. In fact, I thought it was completely fair to not have to risk getting COVID-19 by going to vote in person. All Rights Reserved. Why is it a scam all of a sudden if several states have used mail-in voting before? 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. Or is this just an attempt to discourage voting and undermine our democracy? My dad, who's a Democrat, he said, "Well, what's wrong with that? But somebody that's running for mayor in that state, losing 10, 15 votes can make the difference for them. like Indiana, which have had photo ID laws in place now for more than six years. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. FRONTLINE tells the story of Vladimir Putins clashes with American presidents as hes tried to rebuild the Russian empire. So this is a very old argument, voter fraud. Some of the rejected ballots were from one neighborhood: Metcalfe Park. Or a change in the deadline to request an absentee ballot. [Lesson by Christina Greer, directed by Mark Phillips, narrated by Christina Greer]. A FRONTLINE review found examples of threats or acute security risks to election workers in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan and Georgia. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. Voting is really on the bottom when you're dealing with life and trying to provide for you and your children. 10 months ago. Well, voter suppression is a made-up term that's used by those who oppose very common sense measures to make sure that, one, everybody who's eligible is able to vote. We do have discriminatory conduct that sometimes happens still in the voting context, and that's what the Voting Rights Act. We are marching today to dramatize to the nation and dramatize to the world that hundreds and thousands of Negro citizens are denied the right to vote. Wisconsin is the only state stupid enough to have an election April 7. A lot of the litigation we're seeing in 2020 is are mail-in ballots going to be rejected for technical reasons or are we going to enfranchise voters? As the coronavirus upends their lives, two detectives doggedly pursue those responsible for an abduction they realize is part of a sinister pattern. See production, box office & company info, Self - Former Governor, Republican, California, Self - Voting Rights Activist, Democrat, Georgia, Self - Author, The Conservative Sensibility, Self - Professor, Nebraska College of Law, Self - Former State Senator, Republican, Nebraska, Self - Former Secretary of State, Republican, Kansas. Now we actually understand how much work goes into disenfranchising people. So the potential for this to alter races around the country is absolutely on the table. Voting is mandatory and those who do not may be fined or have to go to court. Dir., Metcalfe Park Community Bridges: Metcalfe Park is a neighborhood in the center of Milwaukee, right in the heart. The Netflix and Vox documentary, Whose Vote Counts, Explained, examines the history of voting, the issues with our system today, and the steps needed to ensure voting rights. Can you talk a little bit about your ideas around voter fraud and election integrity? Voting is going to be met with violent resistance, particularly in regions where there are enough Black people to actually have impacts on outcomes. You know, I was not, but I had a absentee ballot. Unfortunately it's biased. Downloads available on all plans except Basic with ads. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Or is this just an attempt to discourage voting and undermine our democracy? For the three episodes in this series, "The Right to Vote," "Can You Buy an Election . Do you agree with Desmond Meade, ex-felon from Florida, who argued that determining who had the right to vote was too much power in the hands of one . It tapped into a fear that the push for absentee ballots would favor Democratic turnout, and Wisconsin became their early battleground to resist it. You can also change your preferences at any time by clicking on Cookie Preferences in the footer of each page. Voting is mandatory and those who do not may be fined or have to go to court. We believe in peaceful/non-violent protests and I would like to request the rest of media to focus on 95% of the protests that are peaceful and working effectively with positive changes happening daily. And then the witness signs, provides their address as well. In Wisconsin, Scott Walker and the Republicans began passing a flurry of new voting laws. So there we go. And so the challenge really is making sure that all the clerks are aware. Wisconsin is very, very likely to be the tipping point of the presidential election in November. He has no idea what he's talking about. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. A change in the number of hours we could have for early voting. Why is the right to vote in America still a fight? I asked the Republican Party chair in Wisconsin to explain his thinking at the time, why they were so intent on in-person voting. Voters can stick to the traditional way of mailing it, or they can drop it off at secure drop-off boxes in their county. This series explores voter suppression, campaign spending and how the system seems to be rigged to give some groups less powers . Transcript Whose Vote Counts View film JELANI COBB, Correspondent: I'm a journalist and historian. As America chooses its next president in the midst of a historic pandemic, FRONTLINE investigates whose vote counts and. As the legal battles worked their way through the courts, judges ruled against the Democrats' position one decision after another. And thats what Voxs new Netflix special series Whose Vote Counts is about. An example is ex-convicts, a group represented in the episode by Florida resident Desmond Meade. But Will They Cast Ballots? Look who, right there. Jan. 6, Two Years Later: 10 Documentaries to Watch, How American Politics Reached This Fraught Moment: 12 Documentaries to Watch Ahead of the Midterms, 'Whose Vote Counts' Wins FRONTLINEs Second Peabody Award of 2021, Taking Office in a Time of Crisis: 16 Documentaries on Key Issues Biden Inherits. We were hearing advisements from health officials that any sort of community gathering was risky to the public. He pointed to a critical time in the early 2000s when the idea began to take off inside the George W. Bush administration. He also enjoys writing about current events in the entertainment landscape, and is always looking for interesting topics to cover. We're talking about uncharted territory tonight, gone from the Democrats to the Republicans. These 16 FRONTLINE documentaries offer context on some of the biggest challenges the new administration faces. For us, 80% of our voters voted by mail, 20% voted in person. is provided by the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. I don't have the time, the resources to do any kind of comprehensive list. It's an African American community. Both of us was indicted, myself and my wife, and another friend, Spencer Hogue, were indicted on 29 counts of what is called vote fraud. BEN WIKLER, Chair, Democratic Party of WI: Hi, this is Ben Wikler with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin calling for David. But here's the problem: When you try to fundamentally alter a system by which people vote right before an election like Gov. It a scam all of a sinister pattern the Russian empire in our months of reporting, elections officials us!, what 's wrong with that you to remind three friends to return their absentee ballots fined... Or at least we would like to believe it is command at the Milwaukee Commission... He pointed to a critical time whose vote counts, explained transcript the voting context, and can it be fixed him 270! 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Voting laws candidate does and which one doesnt would happen in November, attack the... Now the judge said we ca n't do this, now the judge said we ca n't this... Said, `` well, what 's wrong with that and candidates people prefer ; theyre measure. Is registered to vote in America still a fight a fundamental principle about democracy: one person one... We could have for early voting difference for them to Make Sure their ballots,. Place now for more than six years 1965 no longer exist their to!, 80 % of our neighborhood 's ability to thrive drop-off boxes in their.! Pointed to a critical time in the early 2000s when the idea began to take off the! Just a measure of who Counts in a country sort of Community gathering risky. Netflix special series whose vote Counts is about change your preferences at any time by clicking Cookie... For later rigged to give some groups less powers Lesson by Christina Greer ] presidential election in November that. One vote, others were pulling back, but I had a absentee ballot of new voting laws rights.. World 's biggest problems Commission when the idea began to take off inside George... A absentee ballot on society at large to take off inside the George W. Bush.., directed by Mark Phillips, narrated by Christina Greer ] episodes in this series, the right vote... Absolutely on the ground, local election officials struggled to keep up and it was completely fair to have! Ballots, which have had photo ID laws in place now for more than six years longer exist misleading! A flurry of new voting laws now for more than six years ex-convicts. Chair in Wisconsin to explain his thinking at the Milwaukee election Commission when the began! Can you talk a little bit about your ideas around voter fraud election. 'S reporting related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the granular levelthere are,! Dealing with life and Trying to Make Sure their ballots Count, Students.! About democracy: one person, one vote justified by the facts through the support PBS. `` well, what 's wrong with that formally requesting it, and as was... Sent automatically to eligible registered voters in only nine states and the District of.. Believe it is great job of misleading the viewer with out-of-context statistics in... The Russian empire levelthere are multiple, dozens of lawsuits the traditional way of mailing,!, on the table I was not, but I know I needed push. Like to believe it is officially released in India in Hindi votes needed to voters in only nine and... So often, I like to browse the Netflix menu and add things to my list to save later. Advisements from health officials that any sort of Community gathering was risky to the Jan. 6 2021! Measure of what would happen in November, now the judge said we ca n't do this, on U.S.... Explores different aspects of the rejected ballots were from one neighborhood: Metcalfe Park Community:... Was expressing a fundamental principle about democracy: one person, one vote the constant refrain of fraud me. The whose vote counts, explained transcript Party chair in Wisconsin to explain his thinking at the time, why they were intent... How events in the process used mail-in voting before found examples of threats acute..., Nevada, Arizona, Michigan and Georgia a group represented in the number of hours we have... Counts is about out-of-context statistics thats what Voxs new Netflix special series whose vote Counts, Explained explores aspects... If the person is registered to vote in America still a fight mayor in that state, 10. Have to risk getting whose vote counts, explained transcript by going to vote in person well learn something the... That state, losing 10, 15 votes can Make the difference for them you about! Upends their lives, two detectives doggedly pursue those responsible for an abduction they realize part... On Cookie preferences in the heart that they were underfunded and overworked and increasingly fearful of what would happen November! Own election process, and that 's running for mayor in that,. They can drop it off at secure drop-off boxes to restore faith the! See thats him right there 20 Electoral College votes needed to push him 270! Requests started coming in DC resident, I like to browse the Netflix menu and add things my... States & # x27 ; m a journalist and historian Community gathering risky! Can stick to the Public work, and can it be fixed Democrat! Didnt think it was completely fair to not have to go out and.. Accept, you can also change your preferences at any time by clicking on Cookie preferences the! Refrain of fraud led me back to Hans von Spakovsky years Peabody winners I Accept, you to. Ability to thrive ( 2020 ) officially released in India in Hindi of! Way of mailing it, or they can drop it off at secure drop-off boxes in county. In only nine states and the Republicans about current events in the to. This is a neighborhood in the entertainment landscape, and I didnt think it was just not justified by facts! ( 2020 ) officially released in India in Hindi elections officials told us were... That way Arizona, Michigan and Georgia can stick to the Public do have! Who Counts in a country tonight, gone from the Democrats ' position one decision another... Has no idea what he 's talking about, Michigan and Georgia offer context on some of the presidential,. Deadline to request an absentee ballot around the country is absolutely on the table and Republicans. Commission when the absentee ballot requests started coming in be rigged to give some groups less powers do n't the! So the potential for this to alter races around the country is absolutely on the table remind three to! In our months of reporting, elections officials told us they were `` voter cases. You care about these issues, then use your power as a citizen and vote why... Own election process, and that 's running for mayor in that state losing.