From Poll Taxes to Election Police: Racist Voter Suppression in America
The Socialist Program with Brian Becker
The Socialist Program
4.7 • 587 Ratings
🗓️ 8 November 2022
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The poll tax was eliminated within this lifetime, in 1966, but the right-wing in America has been hard at work reconstructing it with ID requirements, stripping people with convictions of the right to vote, and even arresting people for voting. It's Election Day today and many people are heading to the polls in what may be a significant election. What are the most important elements for socialists to know about?
Brian is joined by Esther Iverem, journalist, producer and host of the show ‘On the Ground: Voices of Resistance From the Nation’s Capital,’ which comes out weekly on Fridays. Check it out at onthegroundshow.org and two dozen Pacifica stations nationwide.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today are the midterm elections. We talk about some of the biggest issues that socialists should be |
| 0:07.7 | paying attention to. We focus in particular on the negation of democracy, the attacks on voting |
| 0:15.7 | rights, voter suppression, and contextualize today's election in the broader context of an attack on basic |
| 0:25.7 | democratic rights. |
| 0:28.6 | We need a new system. |
| 0:30.3 | We need a new society. |
| 0:32.2 | We need to demand that which may have sounded impossible even a few weeks ago, but is not |
| 0:37.4 | only realizable, but an imperative necessity. City. Welcome to this episode of the Socialist Program. I'm your host, Brian Becker. If you enjoy or rely on this show or both, please show your support by |
| 1:12.3 | subscribing to our show at patreon.com forward slash the socialist program. |
| 1:18.7 | Today I'm talking with Esther Aberum. Esther is a longtime journalist. She is a producer and |
| 1:24.2 | host of the show On the Ground, Voices of Resistance from the Nation's Capital, |
| 1:29.5 | which comes out every week on Fridays. You can check it out at on thegroundshow.org. And also, |
| 1:37.2 | you can listen to it at more than two dozen Pacifica radio stations nationwide. Esther, welcome. Thanks for having me, Brian. Glad to be back. |
| 1:47.3 | Thank you, thank you. Well, Esther, the day today, the news today will undoubtedly be dominated by |
| 1:53.3 | the midterm elections. Just for our audience later tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern time, if you go to Breakthrough News YouTube channel, you can watch |
| 2:05.8 | Eugene per year and Sam Sacks, who will do live coverage as returns come in all evening. So be sure |
| 2:14.0 | to check that out. Breakthrough News YouTube channel tonight starting at 7 p.m. |
| 2:20.2 | Esther, we are undoubtedly going to talk about the impact of the election outcome after today, |
| 2:26.4 | tomorrow and in the coming days, coming weeks. It's a potentially significant election. |
| 2:32.0 | Of course, midterm elections are where members of Congress are |
| 2:36.1 | elected every two years, all members of Congress, all 435 members are elected every two years. |
| 2:44.3 | And then in two years will be the presidential election. Senators run every six years, but every two years, one-third of the Senate is up for |
... |
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