>> Sreenivasan: THE SENATE

FAILED TO EVEN OPEN DEBATE ON

NEW FEDERAL VOTING PROTECTIONS

THIS PAST WEEK.

THIS COMES AS GET OUT THE VOTE

EVENTS ARE RAMPING UP BEFORE

ELECTIONS ON NOVEMBER 2 THAT

INCLUDE GOVERNORS RACES IN NEW

JERSEY AND VIRGINIA.

I SPOKE WITH JUDITH BROWNE

DIANIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF

ADVANCEMENT PROJECT, A CIVIL

RIGHTS ORGANIZATION THAT FOCUSES

ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AND VOTING

RIGHTS ISSUES.

SO, JUDITH, RIGHT NOW, WE ARE AT

A TIME WHERE VOTING RIGHTS ARE

CHANGING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY

IN DIFFERENT WAYS, AND WE SEEM

TO HAVE A SENATE THAT DOESN'T

WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS,

DOESN'T WANT TO DEBATE THIS.

SO, HOW DO YOU MOVE FORWARD ON A

STATE-BY-STATE BASIS?

>> WELL, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS,

WE'RE SUING EVERYWHERE.

REMEMBER, THE SUPREME COURT

DEALT A BLOW TO THE VOTING

RIGHTS ACT IN THE SHELBY COUNTY

CASE BACK IN 2013.

THEY ALSO DEALT ANOTHER BLOW TO

THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT JUST THIS

PAST SESSION.

AND SO, IT'S MADE IT HARDER FOR

US TO PROVE DISCRIMINATION IN

COURT, BUT WE'RE STILL IN THIS.

WE'RE STILL FIGHTING USING

WHAT'S LEFT OF THE VOTING RIGHTS

ACT AND USING THE CONSTITUTION.

BUT IT WOULD MAKE IT MUCH EASIER

IF THE SENATE WOULD MOVE TO

RESTORE THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

WITH THE JOHN LEWIS VOTING

RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT AND BY

PASSING THE FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT,

WHICH WOULD GIVE US STANDARDS

FOR HOW WE RUN ELECTIONS ACROSS

THE COUNTRY.

>> Sreenivasan: WHAT TO YOU IS

AT STAKE AT THE CORE OF ALL

THIS?

>> I DON'T THINK I'M BEING

ALARMIST TO SAY THAT OUR

DEMOCRACY IS IN PERIL RIGHT NOW.

NOT ONLY HAVE WE SEEN THE

WEAKENING OF VOTING RIGHTS LAWS,

WE SAW AN INSURRECTION ON

JANUARY 6.

WE HAVE SEEN AN UPBEAT IN ISSUES

AND LIES ABOUT THE ELECTIONS AND

THE OUTCOME OF OUR ELECTIONS,

WHICH HAS CALLED INTO QUESTION

THE INTEGRITY OF OUR ELECTIONS

WITH AUDITS AND LAWSUITS, ETC.

AND WE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT JUST

ABOUT THE ELECTIONS, BUT

REDISTRICTING IS UPON US AND

STATES ARE STARTING TO MOVE.

AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING, EVEN IF

YOU LOOK AT THE STATE OF TEXAS,

WHICH ALWAYS HAS A PROBLEM WITH

REDISTRICTING, WHAT WE HAVE SEEN

IS THAT THE LATINO POPULATION

HAS GROWN TREMENDOUSLY BY ABOUT

TWO MILLION PEOPLE, BUT THEY ARE

NOT GOING TO SEE AN INCREASE IN

THEIR POWER, THEIR POLITICAL

POWER.

AND SO, THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE

GOING TO BE A MAJORITY PEOPLE OF

COLOR IN THIS COUNTRY AT SOME

POINT, BUT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE

TO EXERCISE OUR POWER IN WAYS

THAT MIRRORS OUR NUMBERS.

>> Sreenivasan: BEYOND THE

SPECIFIC GROUPS THAT MIGHT BE IN

THE CROSSHAIRS OF THOSE WHO ARE

TRYING TO DECREASE ACCESS TO THE

POLLS, WHY DOES THIS SERIES OF

CHALLENGES ON STATE LEVEL MATTER

TO ALL VOTERS?

>> WELL, IT SHOULD MATTER

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OUR COUNTRY

IS ONLY GOING TO BE AT ITS BEST

IF WE ALL HAVE A SAY IN CHOOSING

THE PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT US SO

THAT OUR INTERESTS CAN BE MET

WHETHER WE LIVE IN LOW-INCOME

NEIGHBORHOODS OR WE LIVE IN RICH

NEIGHBORHOODS, WHETHER OR NOT WE

HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT POLICING OR

CHILD CARE.

RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE ARE SEEING

ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS A POWER

GRAB THAT IS DISADVANTAGING MANY

COMMUNITIES SO THAT THEY WILL

CONTINUE TO BE ON THE LOSING

SIDE OF ELECTIONS AND MAKING

THEIR VOICES SILENCED.

>> Sreenivasan: WHAT ARE THE

ISSUES THAT YOU FIND MOST

THREATENING WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS

THE LANDSCAPE, ACROSS THE

COUNTRY AND ALL OF THESE

DIFFERENT RULES THAT ARE WORKING

THEIR WAY THROUGH LEGISLATURES?

>> IN GEORGIA, WHERE ADVANCEMENT

PROJECT HAS LITIGATION, THERE'S

A PROVISION IN THAT LAW THAT

ALLOWS FOR THE STATE TO REMOVE

LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS IF THEY

THINK THEY'RE NOT DOING THEIR

JOB.

AND SO, YOU COULD IMAGINE THAT

IF THE CALL COMES FROM A

PRESIDENT WHO SAYS THAT HE'S

LOOKING FOR 11,000 VOTES, THAT

IN FACT WHAT COULD HAPPEN IS

THAT THE STATE COULD REMOVE THE

PERSON WHO SAID "I'M NOT GOING

TO LOOK FOR 11,000 VOTES BECAUSE

THERE IS INTEGRITY IN OUR

ELECTION AND I RAN THE ELECTION

WELL," THAT THEY COULD REMOVE

THAT PERSON.

AND SO, I AM VERY CONCERNED

ABOUT THAT, ALONG WITH ALL OF

THE BARRIERS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT

IN OUR WAY.

THESE BARRIERS TO THE BALLOT BOX

ARE DISCONCERTING.

>> Sreenivasan: JUDITH BROWNE

DIANIS OF THE ADVANCEMENT

PROJECT.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU.