>> Even though, today, some states are holding their primary elections, Ohio has decided
to shut down its polling places due to the worldwide pandemic, which has encouraged everyone
to stay home and avoid any type of social interaction.
Now, Republican Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine, announced that polls will be closed in the
state on Tuesday as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The order came from the Ohio Health Director, who order the polls closed on Tuesday to avoid
the imminent threat with a high probability of widespread exposure to COVID-19.
So understand that there are two different parties involved in this story.
There is the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Urging everyone to use social distancing, to avoid human interaction, so we don't spread
this virus.
Then you have the DNC, which is desperate to end the primary race as soon as possible.
Get Biden in, right, because Biden's the frontrunner, as it stands now, and move on with it.
Who cares if everyone's being told to stay home?
We're still gonna hold our elections.
So Ohio has decided, no, we're not gonna do that, that's a bad idea.
And let's go to this video of the Ohio Secretary of State explaining why.
>> How can the health director order the polls close when a judge just said a few hours ago,
tonight, that they should stay open.
I mean, why didn't you appeal, go through the courts, tell us, take us through that.
>> Yeah, again, Don, what the health director has is broad authority to protect the health
of Ohioans.
There's a reason why that's created in law, because in a public health emergency, such
as this, difficult decisions are gonna need to be made.
Again, the question about whether to go on with challenging this and appealing to courts
in the middle of the night would create more uncertainty.
The governor's decision, I think was a wise one to create some finality here, so that
poll workers know that we're not gonna order them to go to the polls tomorrow morning when
it is detrimental to their health.
>> So that's not a violation of the judge's order?
>> Again, I'm not an attorney, so I'm not gonna be the one to figure that out.
But I will say that 35,000 Ohioans who are set to work the polls, were set to work the
polls tomorrow were waiting for some closure and some finality on this.
I think that the governor's order does that.
I think that my directive lays out the path forward.
There will be an election, the people of Ohio will have a chance to make their voice heard.
>> So even though polls are closed today, the government officials in Ohio have a plan
to ensure that people who wanna vote have the opportunity to vote.
Let me be clear that there there has already been Malan voting in Ohio.
But in this next video, Frank LaRose, that's the Ohio Secretary of State, explains what
the state's plan is for individuals who haven't voted yet.
Take a look.
>> Democrats in Ohio supported this decision earlier today, but wanted the state to explore
more, as you just discuss, both by mail options going forward and much earlier than June 2nd.
So talk to me about that.
So Ohio has a actually, a long history of vote by mail.
We've been a leader on this, is something Ohioans are comfortable with.
And what this would do, if we conducted the election under my directive that was sent
out on June 2nd, is we would have a very long period of vote by mail, effectively for the
next 10 weeks, or so.
And then, this gets us to, at least as far out as we can.
Because, remember, the Democratic convention is on July 13th, we owe them a list of delegates.
And so, in order for that to happen, and for the final tabulation of results and certification
of that results to happen, June 2nd is the day that I thought best to, hopefully, get
just past this public health crisis.
>> So what do you guys think about this?
I mean, I think that they're handling this pretty well.
>> Yeah.
>> Leave it to the Democratic Party to make the republicans look reasonable.
>> It's crazy, right?
>> It's insane.
I mean, what the Democratic Party is doing by holding elections today, is one of the
most irresponsible, unconscionable, reckless, disgusting, I can't think of a stronger adjective.
It's utterly remarkable that they would plow ahead with these elections after the CDC and
the World Health Organization have said to limit gatherings to under 50 people, under
10 people in some cases, but they're gonna cause people to die.
Like there's no other way to say it, like there are a public health menace, the republican
party
>> Well, they know that people aren't gonna go to the polls.
They know that people aren't gonna go to the polls.
In fact, Illinois has taken a different approach.
And there are poll workers in Illinois are like, no, we're not gonna show up, are you
crazy?
We've been told by the Trump administration to avoid gatherings of 10 people or more.
So like, why are we gonna risk our health by doing this?
So poll workers aren't showing up, which means that voters are gonna feel disenfranchised,
they're gonna feel frustrated, because they have to choose between their own health.
The possibility of spreading the virus or practicing their democratic process.
>> Their democratic rights.
>> No, I mean, I think that it makes all the sense in the world to say that from now, until
the convention, there will be as you just heard the Attorney General speak about the
10 weeks of mail in ballots.
Why not?
That is perfectly fine.
It takes you three or four days to get a ballot.
>> Yeah.
>> Send it back by a certain time, that's it.
And so, again, the idea that, and it's true, that actually, the democratic party doesn't
mind if people show up or not.
>> That's right.
>> It is a form of voter suppression.
Like long lines are forms of voter suppression, like polling stations closing or forms of
voter suppression, and you're sort of seeing it now.
In a pressure cooker, and it's frustrating, because we kind of, it's like get out to vote.
Dems supposedly care that people get out to vote.
>> No, they don't.
>> And now, you see that actually, nah, it's okay, stay home.
>> No, but here is the incredible thing, how much time the Democrats spend after Trump
got elected, inaugurated.
>> Yeah.
>> How much time do they spend pretending like they cared, about-
>> The integrity-
>> The integrity of our democratic process, of our elections.
>> Yeah, some Russians bought some Facebook memes or something, and it was like, we need
to start a war with them.
And now, I don't wanna hear ever again, from a single Democrat, that they are the party
of science.
I don't wanna be browbeaten with that ever again.
This is, what they're doing, is goes, flies in the face of every single scientist, health
professional in the world today.
It's so mind boggling.
>> Like to be fair, the 10 days was released, what, 72 hours ago, maybe not even?
Not the ten days, the ten- >> People.
>> Ten people or less, that recommendation came out from the Trump administration.
>> Recently.
>> Really recently.
Which, again, could also be part of a like, hey, don't go out to vote.
That's sort of the Republican angle on getting democrats not to go to the ballot box.
I mean, I honestly think it does benefit Trump as well to have democrats stay home.
But just, we love to tout how great our democracy is.
And then, when the day comes after, every celebrity is telling you to get out to vote.
And we spend tons and tons of money on getting out to vote, supposedly.
Then we have no idea how this vote happens.
All the poll workers who are doing work for free, the long, long lines, like the just,
it's like, no, that part is, it's like explaining to a kid where babies come from.
You're like, yeah, well, when two people are in love, and.
And then, we have a president, you don't even explain how it happens.
>> I think that- >> And I know that that this is a little bit
of speculation, but I have good reasons to speculate the way that I am.
I don't think that the DNC would be as pushy about continuing on with the primaries the
way that they've been, if the front runner were Bernie Sanders right now.
>> Obviously not, obviously not.
>> That's just the way I feel about it, because, I mean, they would put a halt to this primary.
>> They would put a stop to it.
>> Yeah.
>> I mean, I think with the left as a very serious discussion, about whether the results
of these elections are actually legitimate.
I don't, in my mind, they are not.
This is not a legitimate election being held today.
>> So I wanna give you the statement coming out of the DNC, The Democratic National Committee.
Apparently, they put out a memo, a little salty, seems like they're kind of threatening
some of these states who have question, whether or not they should hold the primaries, whether
they should maybe postponed things until it's safe.
And so, a new memo from the DNC panel that handles delegate selection for their presidential
nomination warns that state parties that hastily change the first determining step of their
own process, could be subject to penalties, including a 50% reduction in delegates.
>> Jesus Christ.
>> So just in case they don't do exactly what the DNC wants them to do.
And they decide we'd rather keep our people safe.
We'd rather stop the spread of coronavirus, so our healthcare system isn't overwhelmed
with cases.
The DNC is gonna go after them, and possibly, cut the number of delegates from that state.
Here's a statement from the actual memo.
The delegate selection rules provide that each state's first determining step must take
place by June 9th.
If a state violates the rule on timing, or any other rule, they could be subject to penalties
as prescribed in rule 21, including at least a 50% reduction in delegates.
And then, finally, they write, the deadline to elect convention participants is June 20th.
So state parties should have plenty of time to elect their delegates, alternate and standing
committee members.
>> I mean, if you're just looking at who coronavirus mostly affects, right?
Who its most dangerous for?
They're older voters, they're Biden voters.
You know what I mean?
So it's not a left versus versus right thing, it's not in the Democratic Party.
It is just a matter of national health and democratic transparency, and for people to
actually be able to exercise their right to vote.
And to be honest, if they were to delay it, you're gonna see more older people probably
going to the polls, and/or mailing in ballots, like I don't think it, which I think benefits
Biden, not benefits Sanders.
And then, threatening the states with a reduction in delegates.
They're gonna be taking away delegates from Biden, not delegates from Bernie.
So again, it's not left versus right, I mean, maybe they would wanna hold it if Biden but
I don't.
But I definitely don't think that people who are for Bernie, who are like, we need to stop
this.
It actually doesn't helped- >> I don't think Bernie supporters want to
postpone these primaries, because they think it's gonna help Bernie, I think they wanna
do it, because they actually believe in democracy.
And they believe in people's right to vote, including older individuals who are unlikely
to vote for Bernie.
You actually do wanna maintain the integrity of our democratic process.
>> Yep.
>> And what the DNC wants, and it’s very clear to me, is they want this primary over.
>> Mm-hm.
>> They just want Biden to be the nominee, and they wanna move on to the general election.
And they're super salty about the fact that Bernie hasn't drop out yet, which is infuriating,
he still, I get it, okay?
Biden is doing well, based on the polling, in upcoming states, but it's not over yet.
So you don't get to pressure people to drop out when the delegate difference isn't really
that stark yet.
>> Biden's polling went from dead to front-runner in three days.
We're living in unprecedented times.
>> Exactly.
>> We're in the middle of the worst global pandemic in 100 years.
We're gonna go through the worst economic crisis since the dawn of capitalism.
It's really is that big.
Things can change.
>> Right.
>> Is the point like you don't know, anything can happen is my point.
>> But if Biden wins the nomination, and then, goes onto lose Trump, it will absolutely be
COVID-19's fault.
It'll be Bernie Sanders and COVID-19, they were working together in their socialist plot
to re-elect Donald Trump.
>> Yeah.
>> As soon as, if they bungle this, it will totally be because of the pandemic, when they
actually didn't take these steps to make it easier to vote during
the pandemic.