Mother Jones
Ari Berman is a senior reporter for Mother Jones and the author of Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics and Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.
Berman is a former political correspondent for The Nation and a former investigative journalism fellow at The Nation Institute.
Strict voter ID laws could tilt Alabama senate race in Roy Moore's favor Alabama voters will choose between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones Tuesday. Jones needs black voters, some of whom won’t be able to vote because of the state’s strict voter ID laws.
US elections: Repaired… or fixed? In the year 2000, legal dispute over the failure of Florida's voting machinery led to the selection of President George W. Bush by the US Supreme Court. Other results were a crisis of confidence in America's electoral process — which produced many changes. Exactly one year ago today -- in another presidential election -- some of those changes were called into question, and there were echoes last night. In this last week before To the Point goes from daily radio to podcast only, we look at what's happened since the program started 17 years ago. We hear about the security of voting machines, voter ID, Gerrymandering and what politicians like to call the "sacred right of every American" to cast a ballot.
US elections and 'voter fraud' President Trump claims that three million people voted illegally last year, and he's established a Commission on Election Integrity . Vice President Mike Pence is the Chair, but the major work is being done by Vice Chair Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State — and candidate for Governor next year. Its demands for massive amounts of information have led to reports that officials of 44 states claim violations of states' rights and protections of personal privacy. But Commission leaders insist that all's well -- even though Mississippi's Republican Secretary of State told them to "jump in the Gulf of Mexico."
Federal court rules Texas redistricting discriminatory Last Friday, a federal court issued a bombshell decision in Texas: three Congressional districts were intentionally drawn to discriminate against black and Latinos and to gain voting advantages for Republicans. Ari Berman, a reporter for The Nation and the author of Give us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America , dissects the decision and its implications for future elections -- including the 2020 presidential election.
A noble pursuit or just a distraction? Donald Trump lost the popular vote, but prevailed in the Electoral College. Now his claim of a "rigged" election has come back to haunt him. Green Party candidate Jill Stein is paying for recounts in Wisconsin and possibly two other states where he won by very small margins. Trump is acting outraged, but his own, often repeated, warnings have added to public concern about Russian hacking and voting-machine malfunctions. The recounts are unlikely to change the outcome. Will they reveal weakness in the basic tools of democracy or distract attention from the consequences of Trump's victory?
Voting rights advocates are fighting GOP voting laws and winning Six major court rulings against voter restriction laws were issued in the last two weeks, bringing voting rights front and center just months before the presidential election. Republican-majority legislatures passed strict voter laws in recent years, citing voter fraud mostly in states that used to fall under federal supervision when it came to protecting voting rights. But critics insist the laws discriminate against minority voters and give Republican candidates a leg up. Voting rights advocates are fighting back, and winning in states like North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Kansas.
Chaos and Disenfranchisement at the Polls In yesterday's primaries, party frontrunners won. Many voters lost. A record number of New Yorkers complained about delays and glitches, not to mention anger at closed primary rules. Four times as many calls about voting problems poured into the national voter hotline than did in 2012. Frustration is building from Arizona to Wisconsin, over long lines, budget cuts, incompetence and restrictions. Thirty-three states have strict new voter ID laws after a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Are voters already feeling the loss of the full protection of that landmark law of the civil rights movement?
Are US Elections Fair, Open and Accessible? Some Arizona voters waited up to five hours yesterday to cast ballots in their state’s primary. Long wait times have been reported in other primaries and caucuses too. There have been reports of rundown voting machines, confusion over voter registries, and let us never forget the hanging chad debacle in Florida in the 2000 presidential election. Yet, Americans hold dear the notion that the U.S. leads the way when it comes to fair, open and accessible elections. How do we really stack up against other democracies?
The Voting Rights Act 50 Years Later: Race and the Ballot Box The 1965 Voting Rights Act paved the way for black voters in states where they'd been denied the franchise, despite the Bill of Rights and the Civil War. In 2013, the US Supreme Court ruled that enforcement wasn't needed any more. Now, Alabama's accused of trying again to keep blacks away from the polls, while the Supreme Court's being asked to rule that Latinos get an unfair advantage . We hear more about voter ID's, the drawing of district boundaries and the Constitution.
The Voting Rights Act at 50 Fifty years ago today, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. Since then, there’s been a near-constant battle over it. Just yesterday, an appeals court found that a strict Texas voter ID law violated the Act. It required a government-issued photo ID in order to vote, which many minorities don’t have. This is just the latest challenge to the Voting Rights Act.
Will Voters Be Kept from the Polls…Again? Last year, the US Supreme Court ruled that key parts of the Voting Rights Act, signed by Lyndon Johnson in 1965, had outlived their usefulness. By a five to four majority, the court lifted burdens imposed on states with histories of discrimination in voting. Almost immediately, North Carolina, Texas and other states passed Voter ID laws, cut short early voting and eliminated same-day registration. The Court also invited Congress to update the Voting Rights Act. Are those needed protections against voter fraud or a return to the past? Is there evidence of renewed hardship for minorities, the elderly or women voters? Voter ID warning outside the polling station of Ward 1 in Nashua, New Hampshire, 2013 Photo by Mark Buckawicki
Has the South Outgrown the Voting Rights Act? After the re-election of America's first black president, Alabama and other states want the US Supreme Court to throw out a key section of the Voting Rights Act . It requires states and localities with histories of racial discrimination to check with the Justice Department when they change voting laws. Democrats and Republicans extended it almost unanimously in 2006, and George W. Bush signed the new law . But in a case financed by a shadowy conservative fundraiser, states claim they're being punished for sins of the past. Do last year's elections tell a different story? The Supreme Court will hear arguments next week. Did Chief Justice Roberts invite the challenge? President George W. Bush signs the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 on Thursday, July 27, 2006
Is There a War on Voting Rights? Democrats and Republicans know that every vote counts, especially in a divided nation. All over the country, Republicans in state capitols are passing laws to limit what they call rampant voter fraud. Democrats say the GOP has declared war on the rights of voters who want to re-elect Barack Obama. We hear about a dispute that's fundamental to American democracy.
Voter ID and the 'Battle Before the Battle' Republicans insist that voter fraud is so common it could change the results of elections or at least diminish confidence in the integrity of the process. But Democrats say the GOP is pushing voter-identification laws to keep students, the elderly and especially African Americans away from the polls. In 2008, those voters were crucial to electing Barack Obama. Last year (except for the elderly) they stayed home, and Republicans won big. We hear what's happening in state capitols all over the country. Do both parties try to use election laws to their own advantage?
Assessing Obama's 2011 State of the Union President Obama went to the battleground state of Wisconsin today to emphasize last night's call in the State of the Union address for "investment" in clean energy. He spoke to cheering workers at the Orion Energy Systems company. President Obama presents the State of the Union address Rep. Paul Ryan (WI) presents the Republican response
The State of the Union, the GOP and the 2012 Presidential Campaign In his second speech on the State of the Union , Barack Obama told a divided Congress that "contentious" debates are a "good thing" that "robust democracy demands." He also called for a new era of cooperation. Today, at a clean-tech energy company in Wisconsin, Obama re-emphasized last night's theme that "innovation" will create the jobs of the future. But in the official response to his State of the Union address, Republicans said his call for "investment" was a recipe for more government spending. What else did the President tell a divided Congress and the American people? What are the prospects for new legislation and the political future? President Obama delivers his State of the Union address Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan delivers the Republican response
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
