While the President continues to spread conspiracy theories
about voter fraud and illegal voting,
very real instances of voter suppression
during the midterm elections
have been plaguing minority communities across the country.
For more, this is "The Check In."
♪♪
[ Bell dings ]
A good place to start with voter suppression is Georgia,
which was one of the most closely watched elections.
A race between Democrat Stacey Abrams,
who was vying to become the first African-American
female governor of Georgia,
and Brian Kemp, a guy who thought
this was a good campaign ad.
-I'm Brian Kemp. I'm so conservative...
[ Explosion ]
...I blow up government spending.
I own guns...
that no one's taking away.
My chain saw is ready to rip up some regulations.
[ Chain saw revs ]
I got a big truck just in case I need to round up
criminal illegals and take them home myself.
[ Engine starts ]
Yep, I just said that.
I'm Brian Kemp.
If you want a politically incorrect conservative,
that's me.
-Wow.
I mean, a pickup truck, guns, explosives, and a chain saw.
You're like the cousin my mom wouldn't let me visit.
The tag line should have been, "I'm Brian Kemp,
but if you put me in the governor's mansion,
I will...get noise complaints."
You know, being an East Coast liberal elite,
there are times I worry that I have an unfair view
of Republicans from the South.
Then I see a campaign ad like that and I think,
"Oh, I was maybe too fair."
[ Laughter ]
Now, after a hard-fought battle, Kemp won an election
marred by claims of voter suppression,
including Kemp's attempts to enforce laws
that would disenfranchise African-American voters.
And when it came to election day,
that suppression was more successful
than even Kemp expected.
-Brian Kemp and his family arrived a little after 2:00
in Winterville, Georgia,
to cast their vote in the midterm election,
but during the process, Kemp had a problem.
-It said that this is an invalid card.
-Turns out his voting card was invalid.
-Brian Kemp made voting so hard, he suppressed himself.
I mean, his ID was invalid,
so how do we even know he's a citizen?
[ Gasps ] Oh, my God.
He's gonna have to round himself up with his own truck.
But it wasn't just Georgia.
There were voter-suppression efforts in North Dakota,
as well, where Republican Kevin Cramer
beat incumbent Democrat Senator Heidi Heitkamp.
Now, Heitkamp got overwhelming support
from Native American voters when she won in 2012.
So, shortly after that,
Republicans passed a voter ID law
meant to sabotage the Native American vote,
which was in full effect in these elections.
-The law didn't create an ID card
but instead listed information that needs to appear
on a person's identification so they can vote.
The name, a residential address, and a date of birth
must all appear on the card.
Pretty standard, right? But here's the thing.
For North Dakota's native population
who live on one of the five tribal reservations,
there are few if any residential addresses.
Most people there use post-office boxes
which can't be used as a residential address
according to this new bill.
-Heidi Heitkamp won her first election to the Senate
by 3,000 votes. -Right.
-She got 80% support from Native Americans there.
Now you have a voter ID law
that could disenfranchise 5,000 Native American voters.
-5,000 voters might not sound like a huge number,
but remember this is North Dakota.
Their state motto is, "Hello?! Can anybody hear me?!"
Now, Native Americans in North Dakota
still came out in record numbers,
despite the GOP's best efforts to suppress their vote.
But Native American communities have also faced issues
in states like South Dakota,
where simple appeals for a polling place were ignored,
causing some to just give up.
-In South Dakota, for example,
recently, the Crow Creek Reservation
requested a polling location
for its 2,200 people that live there.
The county denied that request
and instead gave the polling location
to a town of about eight people.
-How is it so hard to get a polling place in South Dakota?
You got plenty of room.
They have so much room in South Dakota,
Bed Bath & Beyond is three separate stores.
So Republicans have proven that they have audacity
and in many instances the powers to try to stop certain groups
from participating in the fundamental practice of our democracy.
We talk a lot about Russians interfering in our elections,
and rightly so, but we shouldn't forget
there are plenty of Americans willing to do the same thing.
This has been "The Check In."
[ Cheers and applause ]