>>> THE PROTECTION OF VOTING RIGHTS TOOK BACK THE HOUSE LAST
FALL.
FALL. A SUBCOMMITTEE TOOK A FIELD TRIP
TO HEAR TESTIMONY FROM STACY
ASTRABA
ASTRABA ABRABSA
ABRABSA ABRABA
ABRABA ABRAMS
ABRAMS ABRAMS, SHE HASN’T CONCEDED THE
RACE SHE LOST TO REPUBLICAN
SECRETARY STATE BRIAN KEMP, THE
MAN WHO RAN THE ENTIRE ELECTION
PROCESS.
PROCESS. INSTEAD, ABRAMS FORMED A
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AND
FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST
OFFICIALS ALLEGING THEY GROSSLY
MISMANAGED THE 2018 ELECTION.
TODAY SHE TOLD THE HOUSE
SUBCOMMITTEE WHAT HAPPENED
NOTHING SHORT OF AN EFFORT TO
SUPPRESS THE VOTE.
>> IN COMPETENCE AND OPERATE IN
TANDEM AND THE SHEER COMPLEXITY
SMOOTHS VOTER SUPPRESSION INTO A
SEAMLESS SYSTEM THAT TARGETS
VOTER REGISTRATION, BALLOT
ACCESS AND COUNTING.
>> JOINING ME NOW IS STACY
ABRAMS.
ABRAMS. I THOUGHT THAT POINT YOU MADE
BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN SORT
OF INTENT AND INCOMPETENCE WAS
ELABORATE.
ELABORATE. >> SO FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT.
THE INCOMPETENCE LIES IN THE
FACT THERE WAS POOR MANAGEMENT
OF THE MACHINES, POOR
DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES, POOR
TRAINING OF ELECTORAL WORKERS
AND THE PURGING OF VOTERS.
THE REFUSAL TO FOLLOW FEDERAL
RULINGS THAT SAID THAT EXACT
MATCH THE SYSTEM OF KICKING OUT
VOTERS LARGELY PEOPLE OF COLOR
BECAUSE OF TYPE GRAPHIC ERRORS
THAT COULD BE MADE BY BURRO CATS
BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE THAT
HE USED SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO
INTENTIONALLY HARM VOTERS AND
COUPLED THAT WITH AN
INCOMPETENCE THAT LEFT VOTER
INFORMATION FREE FOR HACKING
THAT FAILED TO ADEQUATELY
MAINTAIN VOTER ROLES AND THESE
PIECES MERGED TOGETHER INTO A
SYSTEM THAT LED TO THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE BEING DENIED THE RIGHT TO
VOTE OR FACING UNCONSCIONABLE
OBSTACLES TO CASTING BALLOTS.
>> WHAT DO YOU SEE AS FEDERAL
SOLUTIONS?
SOLUTIONS? YOU’RE TESTIFYING BEFORE A
CONGRESSIONAL SUBCOMMITTEE.
CONGRESSIONAL SUBCOMMITTEE. THERE IS LEGISLATION BEING
CONSIDERED BY THE DEMOCRATS AND
STILL A BIG PART OF THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACT GUTTED THAT IS YET TO
BE RESTORED.
BE RESTORED. WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS YOU SEE?
>> PART OF THE INTENT BEHIND THE
HEARINGS IS TO LAY THE
FOUNDATION FOR PUSHING FOR
RESTORATION OF SECTION FIVE OF
THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS AND HIS
DECISION BASICALLY STATED THERE
WAS NO PROOF OF RACIAL REASON TO
CONTINUE TO OVERSEE ELECTIONS IN
STATES LIKE GEORGIA.
SO I THINK PART OF THE INTENT
BEHIND THE SEALED HEARINGS IS
GATHER THE INFORMATION AND ALSO
THE TESTIMONY TO SUPPORT
MOVEMENT ON THE VOTING RIGHTS
RESTORATION THAT REPRESENTATIVE
TERRY SEOUL WILL BE LEAVING.
THE LARGER ISSUE IS MAKING SURE
THERE IS A NATIONAL CONVERSATION
ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION.
H.R. ONE IS LEGISLATION
INTRODUCED ON THE FIRST DAY OF
THE CONGRESS AND THAT BILL
SHOULD MOVE FORWARD PARTICULARLY
THOSE PIECES THAT PROVIDE
UNIFORMITY HOW ELECTIONS ARE
ADMINISTERED.
ADMINISTERED. IT MAKES NO SENSE WE HAVE A
DIFFERENT DEMOCRACY NOT ONLY IN
50 STATES BUT THE STATE OF
GEORGIA AND 159 DIFFERENT
COUNTIES THAT DEPENDING ON THE
STATE LINE OR THE COUNTY LINE
THAT YOU CROSS, YOUR RIGHT TO
VOTE CAN BE HINDERED BY THE ACT
OF ONE PERSON OR BY AN
INCOMPETENT ADMINISTRATION OF AN
ENTIRE SYSTEM.
ENTIRE SYSTEM. >> HOW MUCH OF IT INHERIT
CONFLICT WHEN YOU HAVE A
SECRETARY OF STATE TASKED WITH
ADMINISTERING THE STATE’S
ELECTIONS RUNNING HIMSELF IN A
STATEWIDE ELECTION LIKE THE CASE
IN YOUR RACE?
>> I THINK WITHOUT QUESTION IT
WAS NOT ONLY PROBLEMATIC, IT WAS
INHERENTLY UNFAIR.
INHERENTLY UNFAIR. CHRIS WOULD BE ACCUSED BY NO ONE
OF BEING A CHAMPION OF VOTING
RIGHTS OR ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
STEPPED DOWN AS SECRETARY OF
STATE AND YET THE SECRETARY OF
STATE IN GEORGIA FALSELY ACCUSED
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF HACKING
TO COVER UP HIS INCOMPETENCE THE
WEEKEND BEFORE THE ELECTION AND
HE SYSTEMATICALLY HARMED VOTERS
OVER THE COURSE OF A DECADE.
HE WAS NOT ONLY THE CONTESTANT,
THE SCOREKEEPER AND THE REFEREE
AND THERE IS NO I CANSYSTEM THAT
ALLOWS THAT TO BE SO.
IT WAS NOT FAIR.
THAT’S PART OF THE ARGUMENT.
WHAT I WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN
PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IS THAT MY
PUSH FOR FAIR ELECTIONS WILL NOT
SOLVE MY IMMEDIATE ISSUE.
I WILL NOT BECOME THE GOVERNOR
OF GEORGIA SIMPLY BY PUSHING
THIS ISSUE.
THIS ISSUE. THE ONLY THING I CAN ACCOMPLISH
IS MAKING CERTAIN THAT GOING
FORWARD, WE HAVE FAIR AND JUST
DEMOCRACY IN THE STATE OF
GEORGIA AND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THERE IS NO OUTCOME THAT MAKES
ME THE GOVERNOR ON NOVEMBER 6th.
AND THEREFORE, MY ONLY RATIONAL
IS TO MAKE SURE NO ONE HAS TO
FACE WHAT I FACED.
>> WHAT IS IT LIKE IN YOUR STATE
IN THE WAKE OF WHAT PHAPPENED
TONIGHT IN THAT ELECTION?
>> TONIGHT WE SAW A
CONTINUATION.
CONTINUATION. THERE IS A BILL INTRODUCED BY
REPUBLICANS THAT INCLUDES A
CONCESSION ON A NUMBER OF THE
ISSUES THAT WE RAISED IN THIS
ELECTION.
ELECTION. >> INTERESTING.
>> INTERESTING. >> IT WAS NOT ONLY STANDING ROOM
ONLY.
ONLY. THEY HAD AN OVERFLOW ROOM FOR
STATE LEGISLATIVE HEARING.
SO YOU KNOW THIS IS AN IMPORTANT
ISSUE.
ISSUE. THE CHALLENGE HERE IS THAT THERE
ARE VOTING MACHINES BEING SOUGHT
BY THE GOVERNOR, WHICH WOULD
REWARD A COMPANY FOR WHOM HIS
CHIEF OF STAFF, DEPUTY CHIEF OF
STAFF USED TO WORK APPROXIMATELY
SIX MONTHS AGO, AND THAT HIS
EXECUTIVE COUNSEL ADVISED.
AND SO WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS
NOT ONLY BAD FOR GEORGIA BECAUSE
IT’S A HACKABLE MACHINE THAT
DOES NOT PROTECT THE VOTE, BUT
IT’S ALSO PROCUREMENT NIGHTMARE
WHERE WE SEE SELF-ENRICHMENT ON
THE STATE LEVEL SIMILAR TO WHAT
WE SAW HAPPEN ON THE FEDERAL
LEVEL.
LEVEL. >> THE VOTING MACHINE CONTRACTS
TO ACQUIRE VOTING MACHINES TO A
COMPANY REPRESENTED BY THE
SITTING GOVERNOR SIX MONTHS AGO?
>> I BELIEVE HE WAS -- I WANT TO
BE FAIR ABOUT HOW SOON I’LL GIVE
HIM A BUFFER OF SIX MONTHS.
IT MAY HAVE BEEN SIX WEEKS BUT
YES, THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF
FOR THE SITTING GOVERNOR USED TO
WORK FOR THE VERY COMPANY THAT
WOULD BE AWARDED $150 MILLION
CONTRACT IF THIS PROCUREMENT
PROCESS IS ALLOWED TO MOVE
FORWARD.
FORWARD. >> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, THAT RAISES SOME