#TalkRadio – February 20: Guaranteeing the Freedom to Vote: Necessary Legislation and Critical and Creative Litigation

SPEAKERS:

Congressman John Sarbanes: 12:00 PM ET – until departure
Represents Maryland’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. Congress since 2007; Appointed to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce where he serves on the House Subcommittee on Health; House Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security; and the House Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Minerals; Chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force, assembling HR1, the For the People Act;   Read his full bio: https://sarbanes.house.gov/about/biography 

Atty. Marc Elias: 12:00 PM – 12:57 PM ET
Nationally recognized authority and expert in campaign finance, voting rights, redistricting law, and litigation; Founder of Democracy Docket; Founder of  Elias Law Group; In 2020, Marc led the historic legal effort to protect voting rights, filing over 160 lawsuits in the face of the pandemic and a national voter suppression effort; An alumnus of Duke Law School; Proud owner of a Portuguese Water Dog named Bode

INTRODUCTION:

The Igniting Change Radio Show on Tuesday, February 20th, 2024, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time, entitled, “Guaranteeing the Freedom to Vote: Necessary Legislation and Critical and Creative Litigation”, will be live with Radio Show Co-Hosts and Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) Co-Leaders Attorneys Barbara Arnwine, Esq. and Daryl Jones, Esq. and feature special guests Atty. Marc Elias and Congressman John Sarbanes. TJC welcomes the upcoming Senate Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution Field Hearing, to be chaired by Senator Laphonza R. Butler on racial discrimination in voting in Alabama and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which is scheduled for March 1st in Montgomery, Alabama during the Selma Jubilee Weekend. As we head into the 2024 elections, the right to vote for millions of US citizens is under vicious attack. Fortunately, this attack is being addressed in both the litigation and legislative arenas. The outstanding guests are leaders in this fight. This show will discuss the ongoing fight to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This show will examine the creative and critical legislation being led by Attorney Marc Elias and the Elias Law Group, LLP. As such, Barbara, Daryl, and their guests will discuss the state of voting rights litigation with a strong focus on the continuing impact of the 8th Circuit ruling banning the private right of action under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In addition, Igniting Change will talk about the redistricting battle in general and the redistricting battles that have been won this year in Alabama and Louisiana. Lastly, Igniting Change will discuss some of the great litigation that has been based on lesser known portions of the Voting Rights Act that are being deployed to protect voters. Learn more here: https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/using-lesser-known-portions-of-the-voting-rights-act-new-lawsuits-aim-to-protect-voters/ 

QUESTIONS:

• Welcome Attorney Elias and Congressman Sarbanes. It is shocking that in the most recent Democracy Docket 2023 Litigation Report it states that “Since 2020, Democracy Docket has extensively covered and tracked important litigation related to voting rights, elections, and redistricting, and now has a database of over 660 cases.” Congressman Sarbanes, one of the biggest fallacies we hear all the time is that there are no voting rights problems in our nation. What do those stats say to you about the pervasiveness of voting barriers in our nation? 
• Marc, tell people more details, the topline findings, of that report.
• Congressman Sarbanes, tell our listeners why you assembled the Freedom to Vote Act and how it would address the complexities of these voting rights problems?
• How do the two of you feel about this new Field Hearing that Senator Butler has announced for March 1st?
• Even though this Field Hearing is focused on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, many of the subjects such as redistricting and voter denial problems are also covered in the Freedom to Vote Act. Let’s talk about why we need both of these laws passed.
• The preclearance provisions in the Shelby v. Holder case were basically frozen yet the report still shows a predominance of cases were from Arizona, Florida, and Mississippi. What does that tell us about this battle?
• The 8th Circuit ruling bans private parties and private groups from bringing lawsuits in 7 states (North and South Dakota; Arkansas; Iowa; Minnesota; Missouri; and, Nebraska). What are the implications of this ruling in the litigation sphere and how could legislation repair and stop this inequity in providing equal federal voting rights for all eligible voters?
• Marc, in your latest Democracy Docket, you talk about the revival of some of the old provisions of the Voting Rights Act to address some of the ongoing voter suppression by the states. Please tell our listeners about some of these cases, including the use of the 1964 Civil Rights Act  Materiality Provisions.
• Marc, what are the next steps in these litigation battles?
• Congressman, what are the next steps in promoting the Federal voting rights legislation?
• How can our listeners help and get involved?
• What is the major work that you’re pursuing right now?
• What do you think is the most important grassroots organizing that you think needs to happen in order to ensure strong voter protection and engagement in November 2024?
• What are your final thoughts to our listeners?
• Thank you for all of your hard work. How do our listeners get in contact with you?