>>> THE CORONAVIRUS RESCUE BILL THAT JUST PASTED THE SENATE
EXPECTED TO PASS THE HOUSE
TOMORROW HAS $400 MILLION TO
HELP STATES IMPLEMENT SYSTEMS
LIKE ABSENTEE VOTING AND VOTING
BY MAIL IN THE EVENTUALITY OF
EVERYTHING WE’RE GOING THROUGH
WITH PHYSICAL DISTANCING AND
LOCKDOWNS WILL CONTINUE FOR
AWHILE, POSSIBLY EVEN IN SOME
FORM UNTIL THE GENERAL ELECTION
IN NOVEMBER.
IN NOVEMBER. THAT $400 MILLION SUPPORTS THE
STATES TO IMPLEMENT THAT, THAT
NUMBER IS FAR BELOW WHAT
ADVOCATES WANTED.
ADVOCATES WANTED. THEY ASKED FOR $2 BILLION BUT
IT’S MORE THAN $140 MILLION
FIGURE ORIGINALLY OFFERED UP BY
SENATE REPUBLICANS.
SENATE REPUBLICANS. NOW, THE THERE IS STILL A TON OF
OPEN QUESTIONS WHAT ALL THIS
MEANS FOR CONDUCTING DEMOCRACY
DURING A PANDEMIC.
JOINING ME NOW SOMEONE WHO
THINKS ABOUT THIS JUST ABOUT
EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY,
STACEY ABRAMS, THE FOUNDER OF
FAIR FIGHT ACTION AND CANDIDATE
FOR GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA.
LET’S START, STACEY, WHERE YOU
ARE.
ARE. YOU’RE IN GEORGIA AND BEFORE WE
GET TO THE BILL ON THE
ELECTIONS, THINGS THERE LOOK
PRETTY INTENSE PARTICULARLY IN
ATLANTA.
ATLANTA. WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF WHERE
THINGS ARE RIGHT NOW IN YOUR
HOME STATE AND HOW THE RESPONSE
HAS BEEN AT A STATE LEVEL.
>> TODAY THE GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA
AND THE MAYOR OF ATLANTA HAD A
TOWN HALL AND PROVIDED
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BUT THERE
CONTINUES TO BE CONCERN ABOUT
THE DIVERSITY OF RESPONSES
DEPENDING ON WHICH COUNTY YOU’RE
IN, WHICH CITY YOU’RE IN.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS MAKING
SURE THERE IS A UNFIED RESPONSE
AND SO WE’RE WAITING TO SEE THE
NEXT STEPS THAT THE GOVERNOR
TAKES.
TAKES. I’LL TELL YOU THAT I STARTED,
ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS I
STARTED IN THE WAKE OF 2018
ELECTION WAS CALLED SEAT, THE
SOUTHERN ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT
PROJECT BECAUSE ACROSS THE
SOUTH, THE 12-STATE REGION, THIS
SAY REGION THAT HAS THE MOST
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.
VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. WE HAVE HIGHER LEVELS OF
POVERTY.
POVERTY. WE HAVE LOWER LEVELS OF ACCESS
TO PUBLIC BENEFITS AND THOSE
PUBLIC BENEFITS TEND TO PAY
LESS.
LESS. WE HAVELESS PAID LEAVE AND SO
ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THE ISSUES
THAT WE’RE FACING IN THE WAKE OF
COVID-19 ARE HITTING THE SOUTH
HARDER AND SO AT SEAP, WE’RE
WORKING TO CONNECT PEOPLE WITH
RESOURCES SO WE HAVE A MAP WHERE
WE’VE CONNECTED WITH COMMUNITY
NETWORKS AND LISTING THE
ORGANIZATIONS OFFERING SUPPORT
FROM COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY BUT
I RAISE THAT BECAUSE AS MUCH AS
WE NEED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TO TAKE ACTION, WE CANNOT FORGET
THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT STATES
HAVE.
HAVE. STATES LIKE KENTUCKY AND
LOUISIANA AND NORTH CAROLINA,
THE GOVERNORS HAVE TAKEN
EXECUTIVE ACTION TO EXPAND
COVERAGE OF MEDICAID TO EXPAND
ACCESS TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS,
TO ENSURE PEOPLE ACTUALLY
RECEIVE THE SUPPORT THEY DESERVE
AND THE PUBLIC BENEFITS MEET THE
NEED AT THE MOMENT.
IT CRITICAL IN GEORGIA AND
ACROSS THE SOUTH.
WE ASK GOVERNORS TO GO BEYOND
THE MINIMUM AND DO WHAT WE NEED
TO ENSURE EVERY PERSON IS
PROTECTED IN THIS CRISIS.
>> IN TERMS OF ELECTIONS, THERE
WAS A BIG BATTLE, EVEN A
SHOWDOWN OVER THE FUNDING IN
THIS BILL.
THIS BILL. THE IDEA BEHIND THE $2 BILLION
FROM ADVOCATES, WHAT IT WOULD
COST TO IMPLEMENT SOME FORM OF
NO EXCUSE ABSENTEE VOTING SHOULD
IT COME TO THAT IN NOVEMBER.
WHAT’S YOUR ASSESSMENT WHERE THE
LEGISLATION ENDED UP?
>> OF COURSE, WE’RE DISAPPOINTED
THE FULL $2 BILLION WASN’T
ALLOCATED BUT I’M PLEASED WE
HAVE $400 MILLION.
THAT’S MUCH MORE THAN
REPUBLICANS INITIALLY OFFERED
AND WHAT WE KNOW THIS HAS TO BE
A DOWN PAYMENT IN OUR DEMOCRACY.
THERE IS NO DOOVER FOR THE
NOVEMBER ELECTIONS.
NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. THE CONTUSION DOES NOT PERMIT A
DELAY OF THAT ELECTION.
WHICH MEANS WE HAVE TO BE
PREPARED FOR THERE NOT TO BE A
MIRACLE IN MAY THAT CHANGES THE
WORLD.
WORLD. WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR A
PANDEMIC THAT DISRUPTS OUR
ELECTIONS AND WE NEED TO
ANTICIPATE WHAT THE SOLUTION
LOOKS LIKE.
LOOKS LIKE. THAT MEANS ONLINE VOTER
REGISTRATION.
REGISTRATION. SAME-DAY REGISTRATION AND THE
RESOURCES NECESSARY FOR PAID
POSTAGE.
POSTAGE. BECAUSE IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO SAY
YOU CAN MAIL IN YOUR BALLOTS IF
THE POST OFFICE IS CLOSED OR YOU
CAN’T GET THERE.
SO WE HAVE TO ASSUME THAT WE
NEED MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS THAT IS
MAIL IN BALLOTS AND MAKING SURE
THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME LOCATIONS
FOR PEOPLE TO VOTE.
THERE MAY BECOME MUN COMMUNITIES
HAVE TO GO VOTE.
NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES HAVE
VERY IRREGULAR POST OFFICE
ACCESS AND THAT COULD BE
NEGOTIABLE BY THIS TIME.
WE HAVE TO ANTICIPATE FOR
NOVEMBER AND THE REALITY AS A
NATION WE SHOULD BE GOOD AT THIS
BY NOW AND MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT
THE BILL IS A DOWN PAYMENT AND
IT’S A STARTING CONVERSATION BUT
MORE WILL BE DONE.
>> YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE AWFUL
REALITIES OF AMERICAN POLITICS
IS SORT OF PARTISAN DIVIDE FOR
VOTING ACCESS.
VOTING ACCESS. GENERALLY DEMOCRATS HAVE SOUGHT
TO ENLARGE IT TO INCREASE ACCESS
AND REPUBLICANS SOUGHT TO
CONSTRICT IT WHERE SOMETIMES
THEY FLAT OUT ADMIT THAT AND SAY
THAT’S THEIR GOAL.
I DO WONDER IN AN ENVIRONMENT IN
WHICH PEOPLE FIND THEIR LIVES
DISRUPTED IF THE POSSIBILITY OF
REPUBLICANS MAYBE GETTING
RELIGION ON THIS OR
UNDERSTANDING THE NEED TO ALLOW
PEOPLE TO VOTE PARTICULARLY IF
THEIR OWN CONSTITUENCYIES MAY
HAVE A HARD TIME DOING THAT
MIGHT CHANGE THAT KIND OF
PARTISAN VALANCE.
PARTISAN VALANCE. >> I THINK IT COULD.
WE’VE SEEN GOVERNOR MIKE DWAYNE
TAKE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION TO MAKE
SURE MAIL IN BALLOTS WILL BE
AVAILABLE IN THE POSTPONED
ELECTION.
ELECTION. IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA, THE
SECRETARY OF STATE AGREED WITH A
DEMOCRATIC PARTY WE NEED TO MAIL
BALLOTS TO EVERY VOTER.
WE’RE STILL IN DISAGREEMENT
ABOUT THE FACT THAT THESE WON’T
BE POSTAGE PAID BECAUSE IN
GEORGIA, A VOLUNTEER CAN’T OFFER
TO PAY FOR A STAMP THAT’S A
VIOLATION OF STATE LAW.
THE STATE HAS TO AGREE TO PAY
FOR IT.
FOR IT. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE IN EVERY
SINGLE STATE THAT WE MAKE ACCESS
AVAILABLE AND WE ARE HEARING
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS SAY
THIS IS NECESSARY BECAUSE
DEMOCRACY ISN’T PARTISAN.
WE ARE PARTISAN.
WE PICK THE SIDES BUT DEMOCRACY
ITSELF IS ABOUT THE CONVERSATION
AND WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT
WHETHER YOU’RE A DEMOCRAT OR
REPUBLICAN OR INDEPENDENT, YOU
HAVE A RIGHT TO PICK YOUR
LEADERS AND THAT HAPPENS IN
NOVEMBER AND EVERY PERSON WHO
WANTS TO PARTICIPATE WHO IS
ELIGIBLE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO
SO.
SO. >> STACYY D -- STACEY ABRAMS GOO