Republican politicians have moved to dilute Black political power, particularly in the South, since the Supreme Court’s April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.Alex Wong/Getty
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In the runup to this year’s midterm elections, one of the defining campaign issues is the elections themselves. Ever since President Donald Trump first urged red states to draw new maps to give Republican candidates an electoral edge, America has been caught in a historic redistricting fight, which was supercharged this past spring when the Supreme Court gutted much of the Voting Rights Act. That landmark decision led to the elimination of majority-Black districts around the country.
Meanwhile, the president has been pushing legislation that could restrict voting access while using the bully pulpit to falsely claim there’s widespread voter fraud. Some even fear Trump could use the power of the executive branch to interfere with the election itself.
“Do I worry about this? Damn right I do,” says Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). “And more than worry about it, we’re doing everything we can to protect our elections.”
This week on Reveal, host Al Letson talks with three people at the heart of this historic fight over voting rights in America: Schiff; LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter; and Ken Cuccinelli, chairman of The Heritage Foundation’s Election Transparency Initiative.