THANK YOU VERY MUCH MY FRIEND.
HAVE AN EXCELLENT WEEKEND.
>>> THANKS TO YOU AT HOME FOR
JOINING US THIS HOUR.
HAPPY FRIDAY NIGHT.
1918, TWO YEARS BEFORE AMERICAN
WOMEN WERE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO
VOTE, THE WOMEN OF TEXAS WERE
GRANTED THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN
STATE PRIMARY ELECTIONS.
DIDN’T HAPPEN UNTIL TWO YEARS
LATER FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY, BUT
IN TEXAS IT HAPPENED IN 1918.
HERE’S A GROUP OF TEXAS WOMEN
WAITING TO REGISTER TO VOTE FOR
THE FIRST TIME IN JULY 1918.
THEY’RE GETTING READY TO
REGISTER TO VOTE IN A TEXAS
PRIMARY ELECTION.
THIS IS A FLIER FROM AROUND THAT
TIME, MAKING SURE WOMEN KNEW
THEY NOW HAD ACCESS TO THE
BALLOT BOX IN TEXAS.
WOMEN!
ISN’T THAT A GREAT FLIER?
LOOK AT THAT.
WOMEN, THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE
UPON YOU.
HAVE YOU PAID THAT POLL TAX?
POLL TAXES WERE STILL A THING
BACK THEN.
AND, AGAIN, THIS WAS FOR VOTING
IN A PRIMARY, NOT IN A GENERAL
ELECTION, BUT THIS WAS TEXAS IN
1918, AND TEXAS FOR ALL INTENTS
AND PURPOSES WAS A ONE-PARTY
STATE.
IT WAS CONTROLLED BY THE
SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS, A VERY
DIFFERENT PARTY FROM THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY AS WE KNOW IT
TODAY.
THE SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS BASICALLY
WON ALL THE ELECTIONS IN TEXAS
BACK THEN, SO VOTING IN THE
PRIMARY WAS BASICALLY LIKE
VOTING IN THE GENERAL.
WHOEVER WON THE SOUTHERN
DEMOCRATS PRIMARY WAS BASICALLY
GUARANTEED TO WIN THE GENERAL
ELECTION TOO.
SO IT WAS A BIG DEAL.
WHEN TEXAS, AHEAD OF THE UNITED
STATES AS A WHOLE, TEXAS
WELCOMED WOMEN TO THE BALLOT BOX
IN 1918 TO VOTE IN STATE
PRIMARIES.
EXCEPT THERE WAS A HITCH, A
REALLY, REALLY BIG HITCH.
THIS IS CHRISTYIA ADAIR.
BACK IN 1918, CHRISTYIA ADAIR
WAS 25 YEARS OLD.
SHE WAS A YOUNG SUFFRAGIST
LIVING IN TEXAS WHEN THE STATE
GRANTED WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
AND SO THE DAY OF THAT FIRST
PRIMARY WHEN TEXAS WOMEN COULD
TURN IN A BALLOT FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN THE STATE OF TEXAS,
CHRISTYIA ADAIR SAYS SHE GOT
DRESSED UP TO GO VOTE.
SHE WAS A VOTING RIGHTS
ADVOCATE.
SHE WAS SOMEBODY WHO HAD BEEN
AGITATING FOR WOMEN TO BE
ALLOWED TO VOTE.
WOMEN CAN VOTE, SHE WAS THERE.
WHEN SHE GOT TO THE POLLS, SHE
WAS NOT ALLOWED TO CAST A
BALLOT.
THIS IS CHRISTYIA ADAIR IN 1977
EXPLAINING WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED
TO HER THAT DAY.
WATCH THIS.
>> THE WHITE WOMEN WERE GOING TO
VOTE, AND WE DRESSED UP AND WENT
TO VOTE.
AND WHEN WE GOT DOWN THERE,
WELL, WE COULDN’T VOTE.
THEY GAVE US ALL DIFFERENT KIND
OF EXCUSES WHY.
SO FINALLY ONE WOMAN, A
MRS. SIMMONS, SAID, ARE YOU
SAYING THAT WE CAN’T VOTE
BECAUSE WE’RE NEGROES?
AND HE SAID, YES, NEGROES DON’T
VOTE IN PRIMARY IN TEXAS.
SO THAT JUST HURT OUR HEARTS
REAL BAD.
>> NEGROES DON’T VOTE IN THE
PRIMARIES IN TEXAS.
LET’S THROW THAT PICTURE UP
THERE AGAIN.
THOSE TEXAS WOMEN IN THEIR CUTE
HATS AND THEIR LONG SKIRTS ALL
REGISTERING TO VOTE.
THESE WOMEN, OF COURSE, ARE ALL
WHITE BECAUSE IN 1918, TEXAS
HELD ALL WHITE PRIMARIES.
NO PERSON OF COLOR IN TEXAS WAS
ALLOWED TO VOTE OR RUN FOR
OFFICE IN A PRIMARY ELECTION.
ONLY WHITE PEOPLE WERE ALLOWED
TO DO THAT.
THIS WAS POST-RECONSTRUCTION
AMERICA.
THIS WAS THE ERA ABSOLUTELY OF
POLL TAXES, OF LITERACY TESTS.
THIS WAS JIM CROW.
THIS WAS AN ERA OF WHITE PEOPLE
IN POWER USING OVERT,
UNAPOLOGETIC INFLUENCE TO
PREVENT BLACK PEOPLE NOT ONLY
FROM RUNNING FOR OFFICE BUT FROM
VOTING.
THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS THEY DID
IT, BY HOLDING EXPLICITLY
ALL-WHITE PRIMARIES.
THEY SAID THEY WERE PROTECTING
THE PURITY OF THE BALLOT BOX.
THAT WAS AS FAR AS THEY WENT IN
TERMS OF CODE, RIGHT?
BANISHING BLACK PEOPLE FROM THE
RIGHT TO VOTE FOR THE SAKE OF
THE PURITY OF THE BALLOT BOX.
THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE WAS
ULTIMATELY ENSHRINED IN THE
TEXAS STATE CONSTITUTION.
QUOTE, IN ALL ELECTIONS BY THE
PEOPLE, THE LEGISLATURE SHALL
MAKE REGULATIONS AS MAY BE
NECESSARY TO DETECT AND PUNISH
FRAUD AND TO PRESERVE THE PURITY
OF THE BALLOT BOX.
THE PURITY OF THE BALLOT BOX WAS
ABOUT HAVING ALL WHITE VOTERS IN
PRIMARIES.
ALL WHITE PRIMARIES.
AND ALL-WHITE PRIMARIES ARE NOT
JUST A TEXAS THING.
THEY HAPPENED IN OTHER SOUTHERN
STATES TOO.
BUT WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ALL
WHITE PRIMARIES, THEY’RE USUALLY
REMEMBERING TEXAS BECAUSE TEXAS
IS WHERE THE ALL-WHITE PRIMARY
FIRST BEGAN TO FALL.
IN 1940, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN
DENTIST NAMED LONNIE SMITH TRIED
TO VOTE IN A PRIMARY IN HOUSTON,
AND HE WAS TURNED AWAY BECAUSE
IT WAS AN ALL-WHITE PRIMARY.
BUT THEN WITH THE HELP OF THE
NAACP, DR. SMITH SUED.
HIS LAWYER ASSIGNED TO THE CASE
WAS A YOUNG LAWYER, TURNED OUT
TO BE A VERY TALENTED YOUNG
LAWYER NAMED THURGOOD MARSHALL,
WHO OF COURSE WOULD GO ON TO
BECOME THE FIRST BLACK JUSTICE
ON THE UNITED STATES SUPREME
COURT.
AND THAT CASE, THAT CASE OF THAT
BLACK TEXAS DENTIST IN FACT WENT
ALL THE WAY TO THE SUPREME
COURT.
AND THE SUPREME COURT RULED 8-1
THAT DR. SMITH HAD THE RIGHT TO
VOTE IN THE TEXAS PRIMARY, THAT
THE IDEA, THIS RULE IN TEXAS OF
AN ALL-WHITE ELECTION WAS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
THE MAJORITY RULING READING IN
PART, QUOTE, THE UNITED STATES
IS A CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY.
ITS ORGANIC LAW GRANTS TO ALL
CITIZENS THE RIGHT TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE CHOICE OF
ELECTED OFFICIALS WITHOUT
RESTRICTION BY ANY STATE BECAUSE
OF RACE.
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS WOULD BE
OF LITTLE VALUE IF THEY COULD BE
THUS INDIRECTLY DENIED.
THE NEXT DAY, APRIL 4th, 1944,
THIS WAS THE HEADLINE IN "THE
NEW YORK TIMES."
HIGH COURT RULES NEGROES CAN
VOTE IN TEXAS PRIMARY.
DENIAL OF RIGHT TO VOTE BECAUSE
OF RACE VIOLATES THE 15th
AMENDMENT.
THAT RULING -- REMEMBER, THIS IS
1944.
THIS IS NOT ANCIENT HISTORY.
THIS IS 1944.
THAT RULING HAD HUGE IMPLICATION
IMPLICATIONS ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY.
THERE WERE ALL-WHITE PRIMARIES
ALL OVER THE SOUTH.
BUT AFTER THAT RULING, ALL WHITE
PRIMARIES STARTED TO FALL LIKE
DOMINOES.
THURGOOD MARSHALL CALLED IT THE
MOST IMPORTANT CASE HE EVER
WORKED ON.
AND SO IN 1944, DR. LONNIE SMITH
GOT HIS CHANCE TO VOTE IN HIS
HOUSTON PRIMARY, AND SO DID
CHRYSTIA ADAIR AND ALL THE OTHER
YOUNG WOMEN WHO GOT DRESSED UP
TO VOTE THAT DAY IN 1918 AND
WERE TURNED AWAY ON ACCOUNT OF
THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.
ALL-WHITE PRIMARIES IN TEXAS
TOOK A LONG TIME TO DIE, BUT
THEY DIED.
THE REASONING BEHIND THEM, THAT
BOGUS JUSTIFICATION TO PRESERVE
THE PURITY OF THE BALLOT BOX,
THAT LANGUAGE ABOUT HAVING
ALL-WHITE ELECTORATES FOR TEXAS
PRIMARIES, THAT SENTIMENT STILL
LIVES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS
TODAY IN SOME WAYS.
RIGHT NOW A SWEEPING VOTER
SUPPRESSION BILL IS WORKING ITS
WAY THROUGH THE TEXAS
LEGISLATURE.
IF SIGNED INTO LAW, THE
REPUBLICAN-SPONSORED BILL WILL
RADICALLY RESTRICT ACCESS TO THE
BALLOT BOX IN TEXAS IN A WAY
THAT ALL OBSERVERS AND EXPERTS
SAY WILL DISPROPORTIONATELY
AFFECT VOTERS OF COLOR.
AND FOR THE TEXAS REPUBLICANS
WHO WROTE THIS BILL, THEIR
REASON FOR WRITING IT, LITERALLY
WHAT THEY CALL THE STATED
PURPOSE OF THE BILL, WILL SOUND
FAMILIAR.
FROM PAGE 1 OF SB-7, THE BIG
VOTER SUPPRESSION BIM THAT JUST
PASSED THE TEXAS HOUSE.
QUOTE, PURPOSE, 9 PURPOSE OF
THIS ACT IS TO EXERCISE -- TO
MAKE ALL LAWS NECESSARY TO
DETECT AND PUNISH FRAUD AND
PRESERVE THE PURITY OF THE
BALLOT BOX.
TO PRESERVE THE PURITY OF THE
BALLOT BOX, THE LANGUAGE FROM
THE TEXAS STATE CONSTITUTION
THAT WAS PUT THERE TO TRY TO
PROTECT THE TEXAS IDEAL OF
ALL-WHILE ELECTORATES, OF
ALL-WHITE VOTERS IN TEXAS
PRIMARIES.
PURPOSE.
PURPOSE, TO PRESERVE THE PURITY
OF THE BALLOT BOXES, IT SAYS IN
OUR TEXAS STATE CONSTITUTION.
LAST NIGHT THE
REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED HOUSE IN
TEXAS PASSED THAT BILL
RESTRICTING VOTING RIGHTS IN THE
STATE OF TEXAS.
THE VOTE HAPPENED IN THE DEAD OF
NIGHT, 3:00 IN THE MORNING LAST
NIGHT.
DEMOCRATS THREW EVERY
LEGISLATIVE MANEUVER AT THE
KITCHEN SINK TO SLOW IT DOWN BUT
IT PASSED JUST AFTER 3:00 A.M.
ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING MOMENTS
OF THE NIGHT CAME WHEN A
DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER CONFRONTED
ONE OF THE SPONSORS OF THE
REPUBLICAN VOTER SUPPRESSION
BILL, CONFRONTED HIM TO ASK HIM
IF HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE WAS
DOING WHEN HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES
WROTE ONE PARTICULAR CLAUSE INTO
THIS BILL.
WATCH THIS MOMENT.
>> YOU CHOSE A PECULIAR TERM IN
DRAFTING THIS BILL, AND YOU
TALKED ABOUT PRESERVING THE
PURITY OF THE BALLOT BOX, IS
THAT CORRECT?
>> YEAH, THAT’S A QUOTATION FROM
THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE
6, SECTION 4.
>> RIGHT.
AND ARE YOU AWARE OF THE HISTORY
BEHIND THAT PROVISION OF THE
CONSTITUTION?
>> I’M -- I’M NOT.
>> WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR
USING THAT TERM "PURITY AT THE
BALLOT BOX," BECAUSE THAT’S A
SPECIFIC SET OF WORDS THAT HAS A
LOT OF MEANING IN STATE HISTORY?
>> WELL --
>> WHAT WAS YOUR INTENTION?
>> I’M GOING TO ANSWER FOR YOU.
YOU MAY HAVE FIGURED OUT RIGHT
NOW REALLY LIKE THE STATE
CONSTITUTION AND I THINK AS A
LEGISLATIVE BODY JUST AS
CONGRESS SHOULD, THEY SHOULD BE
LOOKING FOR THEIR AUTHORITY FROM
THEIR CHARTER, FROM THE THING
THAT GIVES THEM POWER.
AND SO WHEN WE’RE LOOKING AT
WHAT AUTHORIZES US, RIGHT, THE
SOVEREIGN PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF
TEXAS WHO DELEGATED THEIR
AUTHORITY THROUGH THE
CONSTITUTION, WE THEN SHOULD
LOOK TO THE CONSTITUTION AND
SAY, WHAT GIVES US AUTHORITY TO
DO ANYTHING ON THIS ISSUE?
AND THAT’S THE PROVISION THAT
DOES THAT, AND SO THAT WOULD BE
WHY.
>> DID YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY
BEFORE USING THAT WORD?
>> NO, NO.
THE ONLY THING IF WE WERE TO
HAVE A DISCUSSION MAYBE OVER
SOME COFFEE OR DRINKS TO GO INTO
THE DETAILS OF ARTICLE 1 REALLY
WELL.
I’VE READ THE DEBATES AND THE
JOURNALS OF THE CONVENTION OF
1875 ON THAT FOR THAT THING, BUT
I’M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE --
>> YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IT
THAT -- AND THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN
VERY OBVIOUS, I THINK, TO
ANYBODY WHO LOOKED AT THAT AND
LOOKED AT THAT LANGUAGE.
THAT PROVISION WAS DRAFTED
SPECIFICALLY TO DISENFRANCHISE
BLACK PEOPLE, BLACK VOTERS IN
FACT, FOLLOWING THE CIVIL WAR.
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
>> NO.
THAT’S -- NO.
I’M SORRY TO HEAR THAT.
>> AND ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH
WHITE PRIMARIES?
>> WE’VE -- WE’VE HEARD AND READ
OF SUCH THINGS.
I’M GLAD THAT’S GONE.
IT’S A DISGUSTING THING.
>> DID YOU REALIZE THAT THAT
PURITY OF THE BALLOT BOX
LANGUAGE IN THE TEXAS
CONSTITUTION GAVE RISE TO
ALL-WHITE PRIMARIES?
>> NO.
NO, I DIDN’T.
>> AND DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS
PURITY AT THE BALLOT BOX
JUSTIFICATION WAS ALSO USED
DURING THE JIM CROW ERA TO
PREVENT BLACK PEOPLE FROM
VOTING?
>> NO.
NO.
THOSE ARE TROUBLING THINGS.
I DIDN’T KNOW THAT WAS THEIR --
>> DID YOU KNOW THAT IN STATES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT PENAL
DISENFRANCHISEMENT SCHEMES WERE
PUT IN PLACE INCLUDING IN TEXAS
TO EFFECTIVELY LOCK
AFRICAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE OUT OF
THE POLITICAL PROCESS?
ARE YOU AWARE OF THIS HISTORY?
>> YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK WE’VE
SAID A FEW TIMES THAT I WASN’T
AWARE OF ANY KIND OF MALICIOUS
INTENT IN THE USE OF THAT TERM.
>> OKAY.
>> THE REASON IT WAS USED IS I
REPUBLICAN CHAIR OF THE
ELECTIONS COMMITTEE IN THE TEXAS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
THAT YOUNG MAN IS THE GUY WHO
WROTE THE SWEEPING NEW VOTER
SUPPRESSION BILL FOR THE STATE
OF TEXAS, INCLUDING ITS PURITY
CLAUSE.
WHICH COMES FROM TEXAS’ HISTORY
OF ALL-WHITE PRIMARIES, ENSURING
ALL-WHITE ELECTORATES,
SEGREGATING THE ELECTORATE BY
RACE.
THEY DID STRUCK THE PURITY
PHRASE FROM THE BILL LATE LAST
NIGHT WHEN THEY APPARENTLY
LEARNED FOR THE FIRST TIME WHERE