>>> ITS VERY FRUSTRATING, AND
ITS SUPER HARD TO BE IN THIS
CHAMBER AND TO BE COOL WITH
PEOPLE AND CORDIAL WITH PEOPLE
WHO ARE MAKING POLICIES THAT ARE
DETRIMENTAL TO OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE TELL YOU THIS DAY IN AND OUT,
THAT YOU ARE MAKING POLICIES
THAT ARE DETRIMENTAL TO OUR
COMMUNITIES, THAT ARE HURTING
OUR COMMUNITIES.
>> WOW.
THAT WAS FLORIDA STATE
REPRESENTATIVE ANGELA NIXON
PASSIONATELY SPEAKING OUT
AGAINST FLORIDAS NEW MEASURE
THAT SEVERELY IMPACTS VOTING
RIGHTS IN THE STATE.
THE BILL PASSED LAST NIGHT ALONG
PARTY LINES AND IS JUST ONE OF
THE ACTIONS BEING TAKEN IN
STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
STATES LIKE TEXAS AND GEORGIA,
TO MAKE IT HARDER FOR MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS
IN ELECTIONS.
FLORIDAS BILL TAKES AIM AT VOTE
BY MAIL, RESTRICTING THE USE OF
DROP BOXES, AND IT LIMITS WHO
CAN TURN IN A BALLOT TO
ELECTIONS OFFICIALS.
THE BILL ALSO BANS OUTSIDE
GROUPS FROM TAKING ANY ACTION TO
INFLUENCE THOSE AT LINE IN A
POLLING PLACE, WHICH VOTING
RIGHTS ADVOCATES SAY COULD
PREVENT VOTERS FROM BEING
OFFERED FOOD OR WATER AS THEY
WAIT IN VOTING LINES.
FLORIDAS REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR,
RON DeSANTIS, WHO MADE VOTING
SECURITY ON OF HIS BIG AGENDA
ITEMS THIS YEAR IN AN EFFORT TO
CONTINUE TO PEDDLE THE FORMER
GUYS BIG LIE SAID HES GOING TO
SIGN THE BILL INTO LAW.
JOINING US NOW IS DEMOCRATIC
STATE REPRESENTATIVE ANGELA
NIXON, WHO YOU JUST SAW THERE OF
FLORIDA.
THE REVEREND AL SHARPTON, HOST
OF "POLITICS NATION" AND
PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ACTION
NETWORK JOINS US AS WELL.
FIRST, YOU KNOW, ITS -- IT
DOESNT LOOK ANY BETTER TODAY,
DOES IT?
CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN THIS LAW IS SIGNED
BY THE GOVERNOR?
>> SO, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THIS LAW IS
SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR IS
BASICALLY FLORIDA IS GOING TO
RETURN TO THE WRONG SIDE OF
HISTORY.
WE HAVE A REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE
THAT PASSED A LAW WHICH SEEKS TO
DISENFRANCHISE VOTERS,
PARTICULARLY BLACK AND BROWN
VOTERS.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS
VERY DISHEARTENING, ESPECIALLY
COMING FROM THE ORGANIZER WORLD
AS AN ORGANIZER AND NOW BEING A
LEGISLATOR, ITS VERY
DISHEARTENING THAT WE HAVE TO
DEAL WITH THIS.
>> REPRESENTATIVE, WAS THERE ANY
FRAUD IN FLORIDA IN 2020?
>> THE ONLY FRAUD THAT TOOK
PLACE WAS ACTUALLY WHEN A FORMER
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE PUT IN A
SHAM CANDIDATE DOWN SOUTH, SO,
NO.
THE IDEA THAT THERE WAS RAMPANT
FRAUD IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS
JUST SOMETHING THATS UNTRUE,
AND ITS SOMETHING THAT THE
REPUBLICANS OFTEN USE TO
MOTIVATE THEIR BASE.
>> AND DONALD TRUMP WON FLORIDA,
AND RON DeSANTIS IS A
REPUBLICAN.
REPUBLICANS HAVE NO PROBLEM
WINNING IN THE STATE.
I WONDER IF YOU CAN TALK ABOUT
WHETHER YOU SOUGHT TO HAVE
BUSINESSES GET INVOLVED THE WAY
THEYVE INVOLVED THEMSELVES IN
GEORGIA AFTER THE FACT, AFTER
THE LAW WAS SIGNED, AND IN
TEXAS, SOME OF THEM ARE INVOLVED
BEFORE THEIR LAW IS SIGNED INTO
LAW.
>> YEAH, SO, DEFINITELY.
I AM -- SOME OF MY DAY JOB, IM
A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER AND I ALSO
WORK WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT
SEEK TO UPLIFT AND EMPOWER
UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, AND WE
ARE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH
BUSINESSES AND CORPORATIONS TO
ENSURE THAT THE VOICES OF THE
PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY BE HEARD.
SO, YES, THAT IS ONE AVENUE THAT
WE ARE LOOKING AT, BUT AGAIN, WE
WANT TO JUST CONTINUALLY
ENCOURAGE THE VOTERS OUT THERE
TO CONTINUE TO TURN UP AND TURN
OUT TO VOTE AND TO PUSH BACK ON
THESE UNJUST LAWS THAT ARE
SEEKING TO DISENFRANCHISE,
AGAIN, BLACK AND BROWN VOTERS.
LOOK, THERES NO COINCIDENCE
THAT BLACK AND BROWN VOTERS
TURNED OUT IN RECORD NUMBERS ON
LAST YEAR IN 2020, ESPECIALLY IN
REGARDS TO VOTE BY MAIL, AND SO
WE KNOW THAT THIS LEGISLATION
WAS TARGETED TO BLACK AND BROWN
VOTERS AND TO REALLY SILENCE US,
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE
HAVE TO CONTINUALLY TRY TO PUSH
BACK.
>> YOU KNOW, REV, I THINK WHAT
IS SO DISTURBING IS THAT FACT
COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT THERE
WAS NO FRAUD IN FLORIDA.
THIS IS LEGISLATION THAT SOLVES
NOTHING BECAUSE THERE WAS
NOTHING TO SOLVE.
SO, THIS BILL DOESNT EVEN HAVE
ANY SORT OF DUAL PURPOSE IN THE
TWO HALVES OF OUR POLITICAL
DIVIDE.
IT IS JUST STRAIGHT-UP VOTER
SUPPRESSION.
>> IT IS ABSOLUTELY STRAIGHT-UP
VOTER SUPPRESSION.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACT THAT
THE MEASURES THAT ARE IN THIS
BILL CLEARLY DISPROPORTIONATELY
IMPACTS BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE
IN FLORIDA, NATIONAL ACTION
NETWORK HAS AN OFFICE IN MIAMI
DADE SO IVE WORKED IN FLORIDA
AND I KNOW ABOUT ELECTIONS FROM
A NONPARTISAN WAY.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACT THAT,
AS YOU STATED, NICOLE, THE
PRESIDENT AT THE TIME, TRUMP,
AND DeSANTIS WON.
ITS NOT EVEN LIKE YOU HAVE AN
AGGRIEVED PARTY HERE.
SO THIS IS PART OF THE NATIONAL
MOVE BY THE RIGHT TO
DISENFRANCHISE BLACK AND BROWN
AND IT IS NO MORE ACUTE THAN
RIGHT THERE IN FLORIDA WHERE
THEY CANT EVEN TAKE WINNING AS
A WAY NOT TO INVOLVE THEMSELVES
IN DISENFRANCHISEMENT BECAUSE
THERE WAS RECORD TURNOUT OF
BLACK AND BROWNS AND THERE WAS A
RECORD TURNOUT IN THE
GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION THAT
DESANDE
DeSANTIS DID WIN AND I THINK
WHAT REPRESENTATIVE NIXON SO
PASSIONATELY EXPRESSED IN THE
LEGISLATURE IS WHAT IM HEARING
FROM A LOT OF ACTIVISTS AROUND
FLORIDA AND FAITH LEADERS LIKE
BISHOP VICTOR CURRY AND OTHERS,
THIS IS A CULMINATION OF A LONG
PERIOD OF TIME THEYVE TRIED TO
DISENFRANCHISE BLACK AND BROWN
VOTERS, GOING BACK DECADES, BUT
NOW ITS MORE ACUTE THAN WEVE
EVER SEEN IT, AND IT NEEDS TO BE
RESISTED.
BUSINESSES AND EVERYONE ELSE
NEEDS TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT WITH
FLORIDIANS TO RESIST THIS KIND
OF MOVEMENT.
>> REV, THE -- IM NOT GOING TO
PLAY IT BUT YOU KNOW WEVE ALL
HAD THIS CONVERSATION, MITCH
McCONNELL SAID THERE WAS NO
VOTER FRAUD.
MITT ROMNEY CAME OUT THE NIGHT
OF THE INSURRECTION AND SAID,
THESE ARE LIES, AND DONALD TRUMP
NEEDS TO TELL THE TRUTH TO HIS
VOTERS.
LIZ CHENEY HAS SAID PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN LIED TO.
THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE
PRESIDENT HAS SORT OF REPEATED
THESE LIES ABOUT A STOLEN
ELECTION, IT IS BOTH A SECURITY
THREAT, ITS NOW BEING USED TO
PASS LAWS IN BIG, IMPORTANT
STATES LIKE GEORGIA AND FLORIDA.
WHAT IS NOT WORKING?
IS IT THE REPUBLICAN SORT OF
STRANGLE HOLD ON THESE
LEGISLATURES?
IS IT THE AMBIVALENCE OF
CORPORATIONS?
BECAUSE FIRST THERE WAS ONE, NOW
THERE ARE TWO.
>> I THINK WHAT HAS WORKED IS
THAT THE REPUBLICANS HAVE A
STRONGHOLD ON THE STATE
LEGISLATURES AND MANY OF US THAT
HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN VOTING
RIGHTS MOVEMENTS NATIONALLY OR
IN STATES NEED TO REALLY FOCUS
ON TURNING AROUND A LOT OF THE
STATE LEGISLATURES JUST AS WE
ARE CONCENTRATED ON THE U.S.
SENATE AND THE U.S. CONGRESS.
I THINK THAT THAT IS WHERE ITS
WORKED FOR THE RIGHT WAY.
I ALSO THINK THE PRIVATE SECTOR,
AS WE SAW IN GEORGIA, NEEDS TO
REALLY BE HIT HARD AND THEY
CANNOT CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS
IN STATES, HAVE CONSUMERS WHO
ARE BEING DISENFRANCHISED.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SELL YOUR
PRODUCT, BUT YOU DONT HAVE THE
RIGHT FOR ME TO CONSUME PRODUCTS
FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE FINANCING A
LOT OF THESE RIGHT-WING
INITIATIVES TO DISENFRANCHISE
VOTERS, SO YOU CAN SAY I HAVE
THE RIGHT TO SELL MY PRODUCT.
YOU DO.
AND I HAVE THE RIGHT TO REJECT