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Ari Berman talks about the new battles over voting rights, and his new book, Give Us the Ballot.Berman is senior contributing writer at The Nation, and his new book explores the last 50 years of progress on voting rights, which led to the recent 6-year campaign to roll back access to voting, especially by groups that tend to vote for Democrats. The full title is Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.
Berman relates how 2010 Republican victories at the state level led to a slew of new laws to restrict voting, and to gerrymandering of congressional districts following the 2010 census. The efforts accelerated after the 2013 Supreme Court decision gutted the pre-approval and enforcement elements of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Berman also talks about Donald Trump’s fears that the November election will be rigged by voter fraud, and his call for poll watchers that echoes past efforts of voter intimidation by Republicans.
We also discuss the potential for election fraud by hacking voting machines and tabulators, Berman’s view of the Democratic primaries this year, and the low levels of participation in American elections.
Recent articles by Berman about voting rights are here and here.