Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez and John Legend lend their voices to this incisive, informative deep dive into U.S. voting. Report. Audience Reviews for Whose Vote Counts, Explained: Season 1 Dec 02, 2020 A huge disappointment. It required them to get federal approval for any voting law changes. 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. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. In all these states that we've looked at, studies have shown. If youre not aware of which one is which between Trump and Joe Biden, then youve got some work to do. . In Milwaukee, home to the state's heaviest concentration of Black voters, the pandemic was steadily shutting down the election system itself. It's a lot of names on here that are pretty active in the community that we're in a relationship with. And then the witness signs, provides their address as well. We're going door to door. At the end of the day, when you look at the problems, they're in the large, urban areas. How does the system work, and can it be fixed? On the one hand, Obamas election was the fulfillment of the dreams of those who marched in Selma. Sanjay Leela Bhansali brings his majestic signature flair to stories of love and betrayal in the lives of courtesans in pre-independence India. Or a change in the deadline to request an absentee ballot. 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. Hans von Spakovsky. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. As a DC resident, I was sent a ballot without formally requesting it, and I didnt think it was unfair. 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? 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. None of these things will be improved by staying home and watching the world burn. I think were seeing elected officials, specifically on the Republican side, that are playing politics with peoples lives. Whose Vote Counts, Explained Episode 1 - Right to Vote Directions: Watch the Netflix show here and answer the questions as you go. You can watch all three episodes over on Netflix, launching on Monday, September 28. Throughout U.S. history, many have fought to extend the right to vote to all adults. Oops. As the country has become more divided, fraud and voter suppression have become part of each party's get-out-the-vote mechanism and inspiration and motivation to get its voters out. Related article:First Presidential Debates 2020: Joe Biden VS Donald Trump VS Debates Vs Domestic Terrorism, Related article:Donald Trump Attacks Press Freedom, Cops Assault Journalists Bloody, Eugene Kiely and Rem Reider from factcheck.org stated mail ballots will be sent automatically to eligible registered voters in only nine states and the District of Columbia. The Electoral College. A lawyer turned private investigator takes on a missing person case, propelling him on an unexpected and life-altering quest. Today's decision effectively puts it on hold. Wisconsin Recount Targets 2 Democratic Strongholds, Home to Black and Hispanic Voters, Threats to Election Officials Piled Up as President Trump Refused to Concede, As Biden Clinches Pennsylvania, Securing a Presidential Win, the Trump Campaign Promises More Litigation, Election Commission 'Not Aware of Any Irregularities' as Trump Campaign Calls for Wisconsin Recount. I know she's not on here. that's what the Voting Rights Act was intended to stop, and it does. 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. In a state like Florida, this means there would be fewer Democratic representatives and more Republican representatives, but the Democratic representative would represent a larger population than the Republican representative would. I was too afraid that what if I got sick? Kansas voters sided with abortion rights in August. 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. New mail ballot rules, extensive publicity over how to vote correctly by mail and broadened opportunities to fix minor errors on a ballot before it was discarded worked to limit wide-scale absentee ballot rejections. You almost have to be an attorney in order to understand how to register and vote successfully in Wisconsin. What does this look like? 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. People like Mr. Spakovsky, he played a role in advocating within the conservative movement or the Republican Party. Or is this just an attempt to discourage voting and undermine our democracy? In Whose Vote Counts, Explained, fears about the voting process being rigged by powerful donors and corporations, gerrymandering, the . Sometimes people send us court judgments, convictions and other information like that. Mail-in voting could undo the gains. 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. Each and every voter ID law is a real threat to voting rights in America. We are actively, physically and digitally a part of this global movement. So this is a very old argument, voter fraud. Im running for the Supreme Court to stop. America is the world's oldest democracy, founded on the radical idea that governments "derive their just powers from the consent . Neil Albrecht took us to the room where theyre kept. The Vox docu-series explores the history of voter disenfranchisement and the right to vote in U.S. politics. Electing to not vote because you dont agree with the system doesnt do anything to improve it, it only allows for stagnation. And they started bringing all these cases to try to find these cases of voter fraud. No other justices in history besides these four were nominated by presidents who lost the popular vote. This three-episode limited series narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez and John Legend explores how voter suppression, disenfranchisement and money play a role in American politics. with a few exceptions, almost every lawsuit that's been filed have been unable to show that in fact it keeps people out of the polls. Most government closed, most businesses closed, but we in the election commission continued to come into work each day. Look at whats going on right now! Are mail-in votes actually fraudulent? With their constituents at risk from in-person voting, Democrats began pushing for something that would ignite a political firestorm: an absentee ballot drive. Then we talked about reducing those to 45. Melody McCurtis and her mother, Danell Cross, founded a community organization called Metcalfe Park Bridges. At the end of the day, voting is how citizens can create change in a democracy. Hey, how you doing? 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Castro-Huerta, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Video Gaming Her Way into Young Voters Hearts. 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. With the election underway, I interviewed both candidates. As a DC resident, I was sent a ballot without formally requesting it, and I didnt think it was unfair. What they said was that voter fraud does occur in the U.S. and it could make a difference in a close election. This series explores voter suppression, campaign spending and how the system seems to be rigged to give some groups less powers . As America chooses its next president in the midst of a historic pandemic, FRONTLINE investigates whose vote counts and. Find out behind the scenes facts in the full commentary and In-depth analysis of the cinematic masterpiece, A Tribute To The Academy Awards: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019| From Rami Malek, Leonardo DiCaprio To Marlon Brando & Beyond | From Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep To Bette Davis & Beyond, Why Queen Elizabeth II Is One Of The Greatest Monarchs |Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of United Queendom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Compilation: All James Bond 007 Opening SequencesFrom 1962 Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, In the 32nd Year Of His Career, Keanu Reeves Face Continues To Reign After Launching Movies Earning Over $4.3 Billion In Total John Wick, Toy Story 4, Matrix, And Many More, Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Just hours later, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt another blow to the Democratsthey would not intercede to extend the deadline for absentee ballots. If youve been reading the news, you know that President Trump has, mail-in voting as a scam ahead of next months election. By 1985, that number would grow to nearly 4,000. Well, actually that's not true of the majority of African Americans. We talked to Hans von Spakovsky about this, and he said, "He has no idea what he's talking about. Actually, in my district, it is not a partisan issue. Earlier today, I signed Executive Order 74 to suspend in-person voting for the spring election until June 9. All kinds of systems unique to the United States keep voters from the polls, tip elections in favor of moneyed interests, and give some votes a lot more power than others. The judge said we can't do this, now the judge says we can do that. And for him not to be counted, it justit's doing something to me. I do believe that there is an attack on our democracy right now. This was a significant factor in why he chose to write for Hollywood Insider, as they focus on art and culture over gossip and scandal. With COVID-19 cases rising throughout Wisconsin, thats exactly what Melody McCurtis and her mother have been doing. Please enter a valid email and try again. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Gerrymandering. And then at the end of the day the state Supreme Court says, "This election will continue.". With so much at stake in Wisconsin, the national parties joined the fight. It was not just a bureaucratic burden. Some of the rejected ballots were from one neighborhood: Metcalfe Park. People were going to get sick and those people were probably going to be Black and brown people who are disproportionately impacted by the virus. 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. One, I'll ask you, do you think that Congressman John Lewis, who was bludgeoned in the attempt to secure the right to vote, was wrong? But not every vote is created equal. Although the registration date has passed in most states, some have same-day registration. And it was just not justified by the facts. This article relating to a non-fiction television series in the United States is a stub. The documentary joins FRONTLINE's 'China Undercover' among this years Peabody winners. Maybe 50,000 votes in a state doesn't mean much to the presidential election, maybe it's an all-blue or an all-red state. But Will They Cast Ballots? One series that caught my eye was . That people felt that their vote was being suppressed by having to go out and potentially contract the illness by going to a polling place. with some people waiting five to six hours to cast their votes. More and more Black Americans were registering to vote, and both parties agreed that voting should be easy. Now we actually understand how much work goes into disenfranchising people. When people say "the south side," that's code for "Latinx folks.". 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. As we look at this, the projected numbers of absentee ballots that are rejected are higher than the margin of victory for the president in Michigan and in 2016. It would take a week for election officials to tally the ballots. The seeds of all of that were laid by Hans von Spakovsky and other conservative activists dating all the way back to the 2000s and the George W. Bush Justice Department. Ninety minutes away, in suburban Oconomowoc, municipal clerk Diane Coenen explained what she tried to do to prepare her towns polling station. John Lewis spoke with such passion about voter ID laws not just because he thought they were wrong, but because his life's work was under attack. Is someone on your end recording the Zoom call? 1867. When I heard Melody McCurtis say that, the drama in Wisconsin came into sharp focus. Whose Vote Counts, Explained gives viewers important information about the history of voting in America and modern-day struggles with the ballot. With our colleagues at Columbia Journalism Investigations and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA Today, we examined the results. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. In Wisconsin, Scott Walker and the Republicans began passing a flurry of new voting laws. Only white men with money and land were allowed to vote back then. Many of the same kinds of problems showed up in other states that held elections in the months that followed. I'm not seeing it right now.. Judge Jill Karofsky has won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Voting by mail is wrought with fraud and abuse and people don't get their ballots. Folks on one side of this are constantly saying, "Oh, there's no massive voter fraud in the United States." Most estimates were that Black and Hispanic voters in Wisconsin were twice as likely as white voters not to have one of the approved forms of identification. Gov. We find them through press releases from law enforcement officials, state attorney generals and others. STEPHEN STIRLING, Columbia Journalism Investigations: Sure. 10 months ago. But somebody that's running for mayor in that state, losing 10, 15 votes can make the difference for them. The job of making that happen fell to numerous appointed officials like Neil Albrecht. The result, we hope, is three compelling stories that make the issues and their stakes clear brought to life by our three incredibly talented narrators, who shared our passion for these issues: Leonardo DiCaprio, Selena Gomez, and John Legend. 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. Make no mistake, these voter ID laws are a poll tax. As Meade said, Vote like your life depends on it., Live Updates: USA Election, President-ELECT Joe Biden, Video | The Artist Evolves: All Leonardo DiCaprio Roles &, Hollywood Companies Make Election Day a Paid Holiday | Vote, Video: The People in USA Send Messages to Joe Biden and, Hollywoods Youngest Producers: Millie Bobby Brown and, The American Hero Stacey Abrams' 'And She Could Be Next':, Whose Vote Counts Explained Should Be Mandatory Viewing, The Series Promotes Voting, But Not For Any Specific Candidate or Party, First Presidential Debates 2020: Joe Biden VS Donald Trump VS Debates Vs Domestic Terrorism, Donald Trump Attacks Press Freedom, Cops Assault Journalists Bloody, The Power of Positivity: Ikorodu Bois + Chris Hemsworth + Russo Brothers + Sam Hargrave, Limited Time Offer FREE Subscription to. Can we count on you to remind three friends to return their absentee ballots before Election Day? Because it wasn't postmarked by April 7, it wasn't counted in the election. 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