Our show on January 16, 2018, 12:00–1:00 PM EST, will be the third in a month-long series on “2018 and the Fight for the Future.” This third show will discuss the newest formation, the National Commission for Voter Justice, in the critical fight in 2018 for the right to vote for all eligible citizens. 2018 represents the 7th year in an entrenched battle against a national movement of voter suppression and anit-democracy forces in the states. Literally millions of voters have faced the threat of disenfranchisement due to strict and onerous voter restrictions imposed by the states including onerous voter ID, cuts to early voting, restrictions on early voting, elimination of “Polls to the Souls Sunday”, poll taxes for student voting, felon disenfranchisement laws, barriers for people with disabilities, voter purging, vote caging, poor voting equipment, reduction of polling places and sadly many more.
The National Commission for Voter Justice (NCVJ), the “People’s Commission”, will be a strong force in fighting against voter suppression and motivating civic engagement by holding hearings throughout the nation to directly hear from experts and voters about obstacles to voting; documenting voter suppression laws and tactics; developing strategies to fight, navigate and reverse voter suppression laws and tactics; publishing reports; holding training events; promoting voter registration; mobilizing voters; and advancing civic engagement.
Our featured guests are leaders of the National Commission for Voter Justice: John Nichols, Co-Chair of the NCVJ, prominent, author, journalist and political commentator; Juan Thomas, Co-Chair, NCVJ and President of the National Bar Association; and Hyepin Im, Founder and President, Korean Churches for Community Development and others. See guest bios and pictures at www.BarbaraArnwine.com.
In April 2011, NCVJ Co-Chair, Barbara R. Arnwine, alerted the nation by her issuance of the Map of Shame, to the new national scheme of voter suppression in the states. In 2011-2013, voting rights attorneys and groups were able to fight these new voter restrictions by challenging them in the courts using Section 2 and Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Shelby v. Holder which eviscerated Section 4b of the Voting Rights Act thusly nullifying Section 5, the preclearance section which voting rights litigators had relied upon to fight voter suppression. Emboldened by these developments, voter restrictions measures were enacted or implemented by state legislatures throughout the nation resulting in scores of litigation seeking to preserve the right to vote. In addition, redistricting has been racialized with states using illegal gerrymandering to seek to dilute minority voting strength. Already, in its 2017-2018 Term, the Supreme Court of the United States is hearing key cases with major national implications for voting rights, including partisan gerrymander, racial gerrygandering and voter purging.
The National Commission for Voter Justice will launch on January 17th with a press conference at 10:00 AM on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Our show will explore the two year work agenda of the National Commission for Voter Justice. Why is this Commission necessary? How will this Commission differ from other past Commissions? What are the various forms of voter suppression? How will the Commission do its work? Why did each Commissioner join the Commission? Will the Commission make a difference for the average voter? How will the Commission promote electoral reform? What are the Commission’s strategies for encouraging civic engagement? These and more questions will be discussed during the show.
You don’t want to miss this show!
Be sure to listen live to Igniting Change in the Greater DC Metro Region on Tuesday, January 16, 2018, 12″00-1:00 PM EST, at WOL 1450 AM and on the Internet at www.BarbaraArnwine.com. If you have a question or brief comment, call us at 800-450-7876. The show is live tweeted @TJC-DC. And is livestreamed on Facebook at Barbara Arnwine. A podcast is posted on the website on Tuesday evening.
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Hyepin Im
Hyepin Im is the President and Founder of Korean Churches for Community Development (KCCD), a national nonprofit involved in empowering churches and nonprofits to leverage […]
John Nichols
John Nichols, a pioneering political blogger, writes about politics for The Nation as its national-affairs correspondent. His posts have been circulated internationally, quoted in numerous […]
Juan Thomas
Juan R. Thomas is the 75th President of the National Bar Association (NBA), the nation’s oldest and largest national network of approximately 65,000 predominantly African-American […]
Past Show – January 16, 2018
January 16, 2018
