Why does American Democracy look the way it does today and how can we make it more responsive to the people it was formed to serve? Democracy Decoded, a podcast by Campaign Legal Center, examines our government and discusses innovative ideas that could lead to a stronger, more transparent, accountable and inclusive democracy. In the new season, host Simone Leeper covers everything you need to know about voting in the U.S. – how it works, what barriers exist to voting, and how to make our voting system more inclusive. Because our democracy works best, when every voter can participate.
Simone Leeper: Since the beginning of our country's existence, access to the right to vote has not been equal. When the Constitution was ratified, only white men who owned property could vote. Black Americans and women fought for more than a hundred years to have their voices heard. They fought during Jim Crow.
Paul Smith: During that period in the south, especially, African Americans were essentially prevented from voting at all because of their race.
Leeper: And even when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed, many groups still fought to exercise their right to vote … facing limited polling places, hours-long lines, and restrictions to vote-by-mail.
Danielle Lang: It was unacceptable in 1965 and it's unacceptable today.
Leeper: I'm Simone Leeper. I'm a lawyer at Campaign Legal Center, a non partisan non profit organization that advocates in the courts and through public policy to make voting more accessible. I’m also the host of this podcast, Democracy Decoded. Our show examines our government and explores innovative ideas that could lead to a stronger, more transparent, accountable and inclusive democracy. This season, we're digging into the issue … of voting.
Brittany Carter: across the country, state legislatures are drafting and passing laws that literally deny access to the vote by shrinking the number of early voting days, imposing strict voter identification requirements, limiting ballot drop boxes and purging voter rolls.
Leeper: We'll talk with experts from across the country and voters representing impacted communities about the deliberate barriers to voting that exist today. We ask how our voting system could be more inclusive. Because our democracy works best, when every voter can participate. Find us at democracydecoded.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. Produced by LWC Studios for Campaign Legal Center.
Citation: Leeper, Simone, host. "Democracy Decoded is Back!" Democracy Decoded, Campaign Legal Center, November 1, 2022. democracydecoded.org