Who chooses to vote in the United States and why? Political scientist David Nickerson joins us to discuss the research that shows why so many Americans steer clear of the polls on election day.
President and Director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Sherrilyn Ifill, says there are specific tactics in place that keep different types of people from voting. She also discusses the history behind the Voting Rights Act and the court case Shelby County v. Holder, which have had significant impacts on our right to vote.
We also take a look at non-voters in our country, including people who do not want to vote and people who are not allowed to vote. Communications Director for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Devin Coleman, talks about what it is like being a disenfranchised voter and what national changes can be made to ensure a more expansive right to vote.
Tolu Aleshinloye, a DACA recipient living in New York City, adds to the conversation as someone who cannot vote due to her citizenship status. She tells her story on the site “The Love Vote,” a platform for people who cannot vote to encourage others to pledge to vote on their behalf. Esther de Rothschild is a naturalized U.S. citizen who created The Love Vote when her high school students expressed their frustrations about not being able to vote.
And later in the hour, Barry Burden, professor of Political Science and Director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joins The Takeaway, Friday show host Tanzina Vega to discuss what it takes to transform non-voters into voters.
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This segment was originally aired on August 10, 2018.