The Democratic National Committee filed one of several lawsuits to make absentee voting easier, seeking to loosen requirements like voter ID and witness signatures, things that historically have been obstacles, especially for people of color. That provision was called Section 5. Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. The series is narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez, and John Legend. Due to biases in the criminal justice system, poll taxes and literacy tests soon became common, preventing many Black and non-English speaking people who could not pass the test or afford the tax from voting. 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. You almost have to be an attorney in order to understand how to register and vote successfully in Wisconsin. It goes back all the way to our nations infancy when voting was considered a privilege, not a right. Browse more videos. Trump and Others Disagree. The U.S. Supreme Court comes in and says, "We have to have a postmark requirement. The Vox docu-series explores the history of voter disenfranchisement and the right to vote in U.S. politics. Follow. As America chooses its next president in the midst of a historic pandemic, FRONTLINE investigates whose vote counts and whose might not. These episodes would be helpful when discussing the Electoral College, gerrymandering, voter suppression, disenfranchisement, 3 Products $ 3.50 $ 4.50 Save $ 1.00 View Bundle In a world plagued by ghosts, three teens band together as paranormal investigators, risking what little they have to unravel a diabolical conspiracy. Most of what's being fought over is the ability for voters to have access to the polls and for their votes to count. Every state runs its own election process, and as Wisconsin was moving forward, others were pulling back. But the victory belied an unsettling fact. Elvis trades in his jumpsuit for a jetpack when he joins a secret government spy program to help battle the dark forces that threaten the country. So I think that there has been a whole lot of attention paid to the state because of that. As a DC resident, I was sent a ballot without formally requesting it, and I didnt think it was unfair. "Whose Vote Counts, Explained" takes a close look at the United States' political system and attempts to get voters engaged and informed before the 2020 general election. How does the system work, and can it be fixed? All Rights Reserved. Just hours later, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt another blow to the Democratsthey would not intercede to extend the deadline for absentee ballots. All lean Democratic, with large communities of color. We have seen a lot of changes to election law over the past 10 years. States that were notorious for voter suppression now had to get federal approval if they wanted to change any laws regarding voting. But is France truly ready for a Black president? With the election underway, I interviewed both candidates. The important part is that we have the safeguards in place to make sure that people have confidence in the electoral process and that our electoral process has integrity. Democrats tend to live in urban areas whereas Republicans live in suburban areas. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. It tapped into a fear that the push for absentee ballots would favor Democratic turnout, and Wisconsin became their early battleground to resist it. It snatched the covers off of it. MARC E. ELIAS, Attorney, Democratic Party: The DNC filed the initial lawsuit when it became clear that there were going to be serious problems with availability for voting. How does the system work, and can it be fixed? There has been for some number of years a virus in the Republican Party about wild claims of voter fraud and the need for suppressive laws. America ranks 26th in the world when it comes to voter turnout rates, with only 55.7% of all eligible voters participating. 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. Albert, you can see thats him right there. 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. They absolutely do not exist. We're providing printed literature in there with phone numbers for folks to call us if they need help registering to vote, so that they feel empowered to vote. We were hearing advisements from health officials that any sort of community gathering was risky to the public. Walker took office. And so the challenge really is making sure that all the clerks are aware. I talked about it with author Ari Berman, whos written extensively on voting rights. I asked the Republican Party chair in Wisconsin to explain his thinking at the time, why they were so intent on in-person voting. The Right to Vote: With George F. Will, Stacey Abrams, Carol Anderson, Carol Berkin. What does this look like? The long struggle came to a head in 1965 with the march from Selma to Montgomery, which the future Congressman John Lewis helped organize. And he insisted that the database shows a wide variety of election fraud cases. Open that door! Hey, how you doing? Voting is mandatory and those who do not may be fined or have to go to court. But in many cases, this led to a Republican bias because people gerrymandered themselves. They didn't want people to go out and vote, but I know I needed to. Every 10 years after the census data is collected, states redraw district lines to reflect changes in demographics. Sessions denied that the case was racially motivated and insisted what the Turners did was illegal. Can we count on you to remind three friends to return their absentee ballots before Election Day? 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. At one time, we talked about reducing sites to maybe from 180 to 120. The Trump campaign has indicated it plans to launch more litigation. But not every vote is created equal. We do have discriminatory conduct that sometimes happens still in the voting context, and that's what the Voting Rights Act. But as we were making this series, and the election season heated up, we were surprised at the new dimensions they took. Every day we're getting alerts this changed or this changed. Trump Wants a Wisconsin Recount. When filling out the ballot, read the instructions carefully. The response was, "If I would have done it three weeks before it would have been the same result." How did it come to be that so many people who have the historic experience of being denied access to the ballot believe that they're being discriminated against, contrary to your opinion? In a two-part documentary, FRONTLINE and Forbidden Films explore how the powerful spyware Pegasus, sold to governments around the world by the Israeli company NSO Group, was used on journalists, activists, the wife and fiance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and others. Youve given us a mandate for true reform and I appreciate that. He also enjoys writing about current events in the entertainment landscape, and is always looking for interesting topics to cover. Throughout U.S. history, many have fought to extend the right to vote to all adults. What did they say? . If you care about these issues, then use your power as a citizen and vote. Our goal for today is going to be getting people registered to vote, and then also having people request their absentee ballots for. With Columbia Journalism Investigations and reporters from the USA TODAY NETWORK. But Will They Cast Ballots? I'm not seeing it right now.. There are cases of voter fraud here and there, but it doesn't happen in the numbers necessary to show that there's some sort of great conspiracy out there to steal elections through voter fraud. The series does an okay job of explaining the voting system. But he ran into a roadblock with the Republican-controlled Legislature. Here's what could come next. 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. The series criticizes the outdated electoral college, explaining how the popular vote would be a fairer method to use in elections. with some people waiting five to six hours to cast their votes. Wisconsin is the only state stupid enough to have an election April 7. Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez and John Legend lend their voices to this incisive, informative deep dive into U.S. voting. 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. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. People on the other side of this equation have frequently said, we have an issue with voter suppression in the United States, not an issue with voter fraud. We had real conversations in my house. Take a look at how long the lines already are in Milwaukee of voters waiting to cast their ballots. The reason voter suppression exists is that people in power often like to resist progress for the general population in favor of their own selfish agendas. 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. I'm not going to feed into what they want us to do, which is not vote. 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 . 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. Your audio is fine, Jelani, on this side. 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. But somebody that's running for mayor in that state, losing 10, 15 votes can make the difference for them. 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. And then it finally came down to five voting centers for in-person voting on Election Day. It comes to voter turnout rates, with only 55.7 % of all eligible participating... Because of that your power as a citizen and vote successfully in Wisconsin ability for voters to have to. For them voter disenfranchisement and the right to vote in U.S. politics the ability for voters to have an April... Deadline for absentee ballots before election Day eligible voters participating Berman, whos written extensively on voting.. 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