SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The documentary Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook can be streamed online for free through Nov. 13, 2018.
(Photo: Rigged)
'Rigged' Exposes GOP's 10-Year Effort To Sabotage Democracy by Undermining Voting Rights
"The suppression of American voters is something we thought our country had moved past, and yet here we are in the 21st century still engaged in this battle over fundamental rights."
Nov 02, 2018
As the GOP's attacks on voting rights continue across the United States--from Georgia to North Dakota and Kansas--and a massive coalition of progressive groups has formed to break the hold that powerful corporate and wealthy interests have on American democratic institutions, the recently released documentary Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook aims to reveal, "in chilling detail, the dark genius behind the ten-year Republican strategy to reverse the rising demographic tide of minority voters."
"I hope Rigged sounds an alarm that wakes America up to what we, as a nation, are losing--government by and for the people."
--Jeffrey Wright, narrator
Filmed during the 2016 election, Rigged was released just ahead of 2018's highly anticipated midterm elections. The documentary sheds light on strategic efforts by members of the Republican Party at all levels of government, in the wake of former President Barack Obama's historic 2008 win, to make it more difficult for Americans--particularly the young and non-white citizens who helped drive Obama's initial presidential victory--to access their constitutional right to vote.
The full documentary can be screened online for free here.
Despite the ongoing voter suppression efforts detailed in the new film, reports of "unprecedented" turnout for early voting are generating cautious hope among progressives that this election could lead to victories that enable Democrats to reverse measures such as voter ID laws enacted by Republicans over the past decade. While record numbers of black, Latino, and youth voters already have headed to the polls, voting rights advocates continue to emphasize the importance of getting to the ballot box Tuesday.
"Now more than ever, we have to vote as if our rights depend on it," declared Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, which hosted a public screening of the film last month "to help people fully understand not only the effort to suppress votes nationwide, but--more importantly--to encourage people to fight back by exercising their right to vote."
"Now more than ever, we have to vote as if our rights depend on it."
-- Hedy Weinberg, ACLU of Tennessee
Some Americans, however, won't be able to participate in the upcoming midterms--because they have been convicted of a felony, lack the identification their state requires, can't register on the same day as an election, or simply can't get to their assigned polling center.
"Millions will be excluded on Tuesday--the voting system is shamefully rigged against ethnic minorities and the poor," Gary Younge wrote in a column for the Guardian published Friday. "Whoever wins on Tuesday, democracy will have already lost."
Despite what Younge aptly describes as "a profoundly unfair and broken process," some advocacy groups and candidates campaigning for public office remain optimistic that next week's election results could provide pathways to repairing the American electoral system by enabling challenges to gerrymandering and measures that strip Americans of their constitutional rights.
"I hope Rigged sounds an alarm that wakes America up to what we, as a nation, are losing--government by and for the people," said Jeffrey Wright, award-winning actor and narrator of the new film. "The suppression of American voters is something we thought our country had moved past, and yet here we are in the 21st century still engaged in this battle over fundamental rights--a battle that began centuries ago and that Americans gave their lives fighting. This is a story that needs to be told--and heard."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
republican partybarack obamaelection 2018gerrymanderingmidterm electionsvoter suppressiondemocracyvoting rights
As the GOP's attacks on voting rights continue across the United States--from Georgia to North Dakota and Kansas--and a massive coalition of progressive groups has formed to break the hold that powerful corporate and wealthy interests have on American democratic institutions, the recently released documentary Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook aims to reveal, "in chilling detail, the dark genius behind the ten-year Republican strategy to reverse the rising demographic tide of minority voters."
"I hope Rigged sounds an alarm that wakes America up to what we, as a nation, are losing--government by and for the people."
--Jeffrey Wright, narrator
Filmed during the 2016 election, Rigged was released just ahead of 2018's highly anticipated midterm elections. The documentary sheds light on strategic efforts by members of the Republican Party at all levels of government, in the wake of former President Barack Obama's historic 2008 win, to make it more difficult for Americans--particularly the young and non-white citizens who helped drive Obama's initial presidential victory--to access their constitutional right to vote.
The full documentary can be screened online for free here.
Despite the ongoing voter suppression efforts detailed in the new film, reports of "unprecedented" turnout for early voting are generating cautious hope among progressives that this election could lead to victories that enable Democrats to reverse measures such as voter ID laws enacted by Republicans over the past decade. While record numbers of black, Latino, and youth voters already have headed to the polls, voting rights advocates continue to emphasize the importance of getting to the ballot box Tuesday.
"Now more than ever, we have to vote as if our rights depend on it," declared Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, which hosted a public screening of the film last month "to help people fully understand not only the effort to suppress votes nationwide, but--more importantly--to encourage people to fight back by exercising their right to vote."
"Now more than ever, we have to vote as if our rights depend on it."
-- Hedy Weinberg, ACLU of Tennessee
Some Americans, however, won't be able to participate in the upcoming midterms--because they have been convicted of a felony, lack the identification their state requires, can't register on the same day as an election, or simply can't get to their assigned polling center.
"Millions will be excluded on Tuesday--the voting system is shamefully rigged against ethnic minorities and the poor," Gary Younge wrote in a column for the Guardian published Friday. "Whoever wins on Tuesday, democracy will have already lost."
Despite what Younge aptly describes as "a profoundly unfair and broken process," some advocacy groups and candidates campaigning for public office remain optimistic that next week's election results could provide pathways to repairing the American electoral system by enabling challenges to gerrymandering and measures that strip Americans of their constitutional rights.
"I hope Rigged sounds an alarm that wakes America up to what we, as a nation, are losing--government by and for the people," said Jeffrey Wright, award-winning actor and narrator of the new film. "The suppression of American voters is something we thought our country had moved past, and yet here we are in the 21st century still engaged in this battle over fundamental rights--a battle that began centuries ago and that Americans gave their lives fighting. This is a story that needs to be told--and heard."
As the GOP's attacks on voting rights continue across the United States--from Georgia to North Dakota and Kansas--and a massive coalition of progressive groups has formed to break the hold that powerful corporate and wealthy interests have on American democratic institutions, the recently released documentary Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook aims to reveal, "in chilling detail, the dark genius behind the ten-year Republican strategy to reverse the rising demographic tide of minority voters."
"I hope Rigged sounds an alarm that wakes America up to what we, as a nation, are losing--government by and for the people."
--Jeffrey Wright, narrator
Filmed during the 2016 election, Rigged was released just ahead of 2018's highly anticipated midterm elections. The documentary sheds light on strategic efforts by members of the Republican Party at all levels of government, in the wake of former President Barack Obama's historic 2008 win, to make it more difficult for Americans--particularly the young and non-white citizens who helped drive Obama's initial presidential victory--to access their constitutional right to vote.
The full documentary can be screened online for free here.
Despite the ongoing voter suppression efforts detailed in the new film, reports of "unprecedented" turnout for early voting are generating cautious hope among progressives that this election could lead to victories that enable Democrats to reverse measures such as voter ID laws enacted by Republicans over the past decade. While record numbers of black, Latino, and youth voters already have headed to the polls, voting rights advocates continue to emphasize the importance of getting to the ballot box Tuesday.
"Now more than ever, we have to vote as if our rights depend on it," declared Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, which hosted a public screening of the film last month "to help people fully understand not only the effort to suppress votes nationwide, but--more importantly--to encourage people to fight back by exercising their right to vote."
"Now more than ever, we have to vote as if our rights depend on it."
-- Hedy Weinberg, ACLU of Tennessee
Some Americans, however, won't be able to participate in the upcoming midterms--because they have been convicted of a felony, lack the identification their state requires, can't register on the same day as an election, or simply can't get to their assigned polling center.
"Millions will be excluded on Tuesday--the voting system is shamefully rigged against ethnic minorities and the poor," Gary Younge wrote in a column for the Guardian published Friday. "Whoever wins on Tuesday, democracy will have already lost."
Despite what Younge aptly describes as "a profoundly unfair and broken process," some advocacy groups and candidates campaigning for public office remain optimistic that next week's election results could provide pathways to repairing the American electoral system by enabling challenges to gerrymandering and measures that strip Americans of their constitutional rights.
"I hope Rigged sounds an alarm that wakes America up to what we, as a nation, are losing--government by and for the people," said Jeffrey Wright, award-winning actor and narrator of the new film. "The suppression of American voters is something we thought our country had moved past, and yet here we are in the 21st century still engaged in this battle over fundamental rights--a battle that began centuries ago and that Americans gave their lives fighting. This is a story that needs to be told--and heard."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.