COMM 1303 Book Review FALL 2020
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COMM 1303 Book and Video Review Submission & Peer Evaluations and Summary Assignment
Ryan Simmons
Question 1 In your own words, how do you think the video The Danger of a Single Story
, by novelist Chimamanda Adichie, connects to our text, One Person, No Vote
. What themes are found in both the TedTalk and the book? Respond in paragraph form (a paragraph consists of a minimum of three to four sentences).
In both the video and the book, they point out and talk people’s unconscious minds when it comes to certain social norms. Like expecting a certain race or group of people to act a certain way, which is quite prejudice. The theme of power comes up for both the book and video, discussing the elite and how they suppress and try to paint certain groups in a bad light.
Question 2 In the video First Time Voters
, answer the following prompts in paragraph form (a paragraph consists of three to four sentences):
What was the average wait time to vote?
How many votes decided some elections between 2012 and 2015?
Does your vote matter? Why or why not?
Nationwide, voters wait an average of 13 minutes just to vote. At least 10 elections were decided
by less than 100 votes. Yes, my vote matters! Firstly, it is a privilege to vote. Secondly, it matters
because it is a way to help and participate in politics. It is one of the many easy ways to make some real change in this country.
Question 3 Answer the following prompts in paragraph form:
Which efforts described in the book One Person, No Vote
meant to suppress Americans' voting access alarmed you the most?
Were you surprised to learn that the efforts to suppress the vote come primarily from one political party? Why or why not?
Murder. The act of murder and destruction is probably the most alarming thing. In the midst of segregation, people tried to their best to attack, scare, and lynch black people to not vote. No, I am not surprised. That political party alongside the economy, capitalism and status quo thrives from the exclusion and belittlement of minorities. It’s how they make remain the status quo. By making some groups seem undesirable. It’s basic social economics.
Question 4 Answer the following prompts in paragraph form:
Is there any significant evidence of voter fraud?
Is there proof that voter ID laws have a disparate impact on communities of color and poor folx?
Is there proof that these laws reduce turnout among these folks?
How is requiring ID an impediment to voting? How did your understanding of this issue shift after reading the book?
Poll taxes, literacy tests, limited hours for voting were all some tactics used to deny black people the right to vote. It wiped out poor whites as well as the black vote. The turnout flopped. In the 1
COMM 1303 Book Review
COMM 1303 Book and Video Review Submission & Peer Evaluations and Summary Assignment
late 1800s, turnout was close to 70%; by early 1900s, it was near 15%. Requiring an ID is an impediment because everyone doesn’t have the time or money to get on. I already knew about this issue. I thought it was unnecessary then and I still think it is now.
Question 5 From watching the video The Right to Vote - Electoral Dysfunction
, answer the following prompts:
What three countries are named that put the U.S. in interesting company? What makes it interesting?
What constitutional amendment has been stalled in Congress as of this video's recording?
Has it passed since the video was made? Why or why not?
Chechnya, Lybia and Iran. It is interesting because the constitutional silence in the right to vote is also shared amongst those three countries. The constitutional right to vote has been stalled since 2001. No, it has not. Probably states and politicians hindering the process to keep up with their status quo. Question 6 Answer the following prompts in paragraph form:
Anderson argues that the use of a narrative around protecting voting ‘integrity’ typically simply masks intentional racial discrimination in voting laws.
What are some examples of this?
What was the Mississippi Plan?
What was its impact throughout the South?
A few Jim Crow voter suppression devices were literacy and understanding clauses, poll taxes, and the white primary. How did these work?
Some states needed receipts for two years of paid poll taxes to vote. Poll taxes had disparate impact on blacks because of issues in wealth, education, and relations with the law enforcement. The Mississippi plan used intimidation on black voters and basically committed outright fraud to guarantee that the white Democrats would take control of the state government. And the white state leaders made the primaries white only.
Question 7 Answer the following prompts in paragraph form:
When did modern-day voter purges start? What was the catalyst?
How aware were you of voter roll purges before reading this book? Discuss why knowledge of this problem may not be particularly widespread.
What was the ‘poison pill’ that the GOP required to be inserted into the 1993 federal ‘Motor Voter’ expanded voter registration law?
How do Exact Match and Interstate Crosscheck work, and what is wrong with these systems?
Do they disproportionately impact communities of color?
What are the origins of felony disenfranchisement? Does this contribute to voter roll purges?
In 1965 when the voting rights act was enacted. To be honest I had little to no knowledge of voter roll purges. I think this isn’t as widespread because the elite of society participated in this. Requiring states w/ histories of voting discrimination to obtain federal approval to change
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COMM 1303 Book Review
COMM 1303 Book and Video Review Submission & Peer Evaluations and Summary Assignment
voting laws before being enacted. Their databases that are supposed to check voters registration. However, they were flawed most of the time because it was all based off of first and last name. As if more than 1 person with the same name doesn’t exist. On top of that overlapping birthdays and security issues. Yes they impact communities of color. The felony disenfranchisement laws came into place on 1792. Four states had felony disenfranchisement policies in 1840 and by the time of the Civil War, about 24 states had some type of felony disenfranchisement policy. And yes, in a way this contributed to voter roll purges
Question 8 Prior to reading this book, did you believe voter fraud to be a serious problem in American elections? Discuss how your initial conceptions may have been formed and how your understanding of this issue may have changed after reading One Person, No Vote
. Whether your initial conceptions did, or did not, change or give you any additional understanding, elaborate on why or why not.
Yes, I always thought in some way voter fraud and suppression was a thing. Stacey Abrams and Al Gore had their elections snatched right from them. I learned all most stuff through family conversations, but now I have proof and evidence to back it all up. If anything, my conceptions got stronger! I always felt that way, there’s too many ways to control society and politics is known for being corrupt and controlling society. So I always had my thoughts on this.
Question 9 Given the many obstacles Anderson presents in the book, what gives you hope that the American electorate and our government will be able to change course to lift voter restrictions and ease disenfranchisement? What would you do about voter disenfranchisement/suppression if you ran for and were elected to office? Have you learned anything surprising from One Person, No Vote
? Has it challenged your prior knowledge of key events, politicians, and narratives?
To be honest, I don’t know if I have any hope. Maybe with like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in office, maybe some change will come. She’s one of the people that speaks out and fights for equality. If I was in office, I’d try my best to not only eliminate voter disenfranchisement, but also the electoral college as well. Yes I’ve learned some things, but due to me being a minority in
the US, I’ve been (thankfully) forced to learn a lot of these horrible things through my family and social media. It hasn’t challenged me, If anything thing It supports my thoughts
Question 10 Have voting districts been redrawn where you live? Discuss what you believe to be the rationale behind how your local districts are mapped out. Discuss what you think might be
a fairer or more representative way to draw the districts near you.
My voting district has not been redrawn, or at least not that I know of. I think voting districts sound good, but they’re poorly executed and sometimes used for bad reasons. So I think it should
just be erased as a whole. I don’t think anything about districts or the electoral college is fair. Question 11 The narrative about “states’ rights” has a long history. What are some examples of
‘states rights’ being used as a tool to suppress the vote? On the other hand, does she also provide some examples where states have asserted their rights against the federal government in a way that was protective of citizens and voting? Have you ever faced impediments to voting? Have 3
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COMM 1303 Book and Video Review Submission & Peer Evaluations and Summary Assignment
you witnessed others in your community who have faced obstacles to voting? Discuss why this may be the case either way.
Things such as being a felon or not having a voting ID are things that states can use to make you not vote. It varies in different states. I’ve never faced any issues with voting and I’ve never witnessed anything like that happening to anyone else. This might be the case for some people because some politicians are corrupt and will do anything they can to gain power. Question 12 In the video Voting While Trans: Protect Your Right
, what are some of the ways transgender folx experience voter suppression? Connect response to lessons learned from the reader, One Person, No Vote
. Answer in paragraph form.
By being asked their “real names” and are told they aren’t who they say they are due to the way they look. The end up being harassed, discriminated and excluded from participating. It’s very similar to the way black people were excluded from voting in this past. It may not be the same reasons, but they had the same result. Which was having your vote not being counted.
Question 13 The author argues that gerrymandering and other rule-rigging are key voter suppression tactics. How do these tactics work to suppress the vote? What are the two types of gerrymandering? What are each designed to do? Is gerrymandering a new tactic? Has technology
changed how it is accomplished? What are the consequences of gerrymandering?
The work by denying people their right to vote through unnecessary tasks like literacy tests and spending money. Two principal tactics are used in gerrymandering are cracking and packing. Cracking dilutes the voting power of the opposing party’s supporters. Packing concentrates the opposing party’s vote into one district to reduce voting power in other districts. Gerrymandering has been around for a while, so no it is not new. Technology has affected it, yes. It increases incumbency, decreases voter turnout, and creation of safe seats.
Question 14 In the video
Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook:
What year and why were voter purges first initiated?
What happened to the notifications sent by mail if a person moved?
Who does the process favor?
What is the danger of purges?
Should your right to vote be protected? Why or why not?
It was first initiated in the early 1900’s with the Jim Crow laws. Notifications sent by mail would
become inactive. This process favors the person challenging it. The danger of purges are that people being taken off wont even know they are off. Which makes it hard for them to get back on. Yes your right to vote should be protected, it’s one of the freedoms given to us by this country. Question 15 Are citizen-led ballot initiatives a useful tool to fight voter suppression? What are some examples of these initiatives? Consult the "Resources" section at the back of the paperback 4
COMM 1303 Book Review
COMM 1303 Book and Video Review Submission & Peer Evaluations and Summary Assignment
edition of One Person, No Vote
. Discuss which organizations you think have the potential to make the most impact. Discuss which organizations you might like to support.
Yes, citizen led ballot initiatives are useful and beneficial to help fight voter suppression. black churches (Righteous Vote), HBCUs, NAACP, local Indivisible chapters, Planned Parenthood,
VoteRiders and other national groups like BlackPAC and Black Voters Matter are all examples. I
support all of them. But the NAACP is who I have my money on.
Question 16 After watching the video Does Your Vote Count, answer the following prompts in paragraph form:
In your own words, describe the "good, bad, and ugly" of the Electoral College for deciding a presidential winner.
Do you agree or disagree the Electoral College is how our presidential elections should still be decided? Why or why not?
Which states are the most important states for electoral votes in a presidential election? Why?
Do you live in a safe state or a swing state? Explain.
What is the "magic number" and what does it do?
There is no good in the Electoral College, all I see is bad and ugly. It takes away from every vote
counting and letting the true citizens of states and counties voices be heard. I think the Electoral College should be abolished. The most important states to me Texas, Florida, New York and California. I live in a Red Sate, TX. It’s slowly becoming blue though. The magic number is 270 to win the Electoral College.
Question 17 According to Dr. Carol Anderson in the video Sister District
, discusses several voting rights issues. Answer the following prompts in paragraph form and connect your thoughts
to lessons learned from our reader, One Person No Vote (paragraph form is a minimum of 3-4 sentences):
What are the three lessons that came out of elections?
What is skewing federal policy?
What are the outcomes from these policies?
For me it’s voting suppression, voting rights and knowing when and how to vote (Through mail included) Things like gerrymandering and the people behind it are skewing federal policy. Hopefully these policies help people listen, learn and understand their rights to vote.
Question 18 Answer the following in paragraph form:
In the video MediaOcracy
, how does social media shape political opinions?
List the 5 tips given and share how you might be able to integrate them into your social media consumption and behavior.
It gives and amplifies the will of free speech! Giving platforms to people who might not feel heard or who wants even more people to hear them. 5 tips are
-Curate your news for yourself
-Read something you violently disagree with once a week
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COMM 1303 Book Review
COMM 1303 Book and Video Review Submission & Peer Evaluations and Summary Assignment
-Employ deputy curators
-Go pass the headline and learn the full story
-Don’t retweet without knowing everything Question 19 In the video The Daily Show Extended Interview
, what did Carol Anderson, the author of
One Person, No Vote,
say the requirements are for obtaining an ID in Indiana? What is required for you to get an ID in Texas?
In Indiana you need to have a driver’s license to get a birth certificate, but to get a birth certificate you need to get a driver’s license. In Texas you would need 2 forms of ID and a bank statement from the past 6 months.
Question 20 After watching the video Defending Democracy, answer the following prompts in paragraph form:
How did Justice Scalia describe the Voting Rights Act? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
What is the biggest civics scam in the U.S.? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
Is voting a right or a privilege? Explain.
He described it as perpetuation of racial entitlement. I do not in any way agree with him. That statement is ignorant, racist and a product of white privilege. Only someone who’s never had to face any type of prejudices based off the color of their skin would say something like that. Like did he forget slavery and segregation happened? How can equality be called entitlement? The worst part about this is that this man was on the supreme court. The biggest scam is a Voter ID. It’s because of all the obstacles you have to go through to just get it and I agree with that. Yes, voting is a privilege. It’s your right in this country and it helps make important decisions.
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