Voting Rights PBS Frontline Whose Vote Counts Narrative Reflection Activity
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School
University of Notre Dame *
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Course
12365
Subject
Political Science
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
Pages
7
Uploaded by SuperRhinoceros3617
©Education Beyond the Standard
1
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
1964
1969
2020
% of Black Population
Registered to Vote, U.S.
% of Black Population Registered to Vote
0%
50%
100%
1964
1967
2012
% Black Population
Registered to Vote,
Mississippi
% Mississippi Black Population
Registered to Vote
PBS Frontline: Whose Vote Counts? Reflections on Narratives about Democracy, History, and Voting Rights Introduction: In the documentary, we hear very distinct narratives about voting rights.
People form narratives based on personal experiences, political and other beliefs, and their
own interpretations of information. As we know, two people can look at the same data or
facts and draw completely different conclusions (which may or may not be logically sound).
In this activity, we reflect on and critically examine the distinct narratives presented in the
documentary that both shape and are shaped by opinions about voting rights.
Consider the following data and each person’s interpretation of it. The Voting Rights Act of
1965 was responsible for huge increases in African American voter registration and
turnout, as well as the election of thousands of African Americans to office. What factors
might explain the two opposing views on the same data?
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights,
The Voting Rights Act: Ten Years After,
January 1975, p. 43.
“
The Voting Rights Act worked, “
The Voting Rights Act works, so we don
’
t need it anymore.
”
so its protections should remain in place.
”
©Education Beyond the Standard
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Instructions: Step 1: Match each key figure from the documentary with their corresponding
personal experience/perspective.
Step 2: Analyze how these perspectives impact each key figure’s beliefs and
opinions about voting rights. Answer the questions addressing the two opposing
narratives on democracy and voting rights.
Step 3: Reflect on and discuss your own personal experience/perspective and
narrative about voting rights.
Step 4: Formulate statements of guiding principles that you believe are important
in resolving conflicts and controversy in the area of voting rights.
Step 1: Review the list of key figures from the documentary below and read the personal
experiences/perspectives that follow. After each one, write the name of the key figure it
describes.
Key Figures •
Henry Sanders (attorney and former Alabama Senator)
•
Hans von Spakovsky (attorney, former DOJ elections official, conservative activist)
•
Melody McCloud and Danell Cross (community organizers/voting rights activists in
Milwaukee)
•
Bryan Stevenson (attorney, author, and founder of Equal Justice Institute,
Montgomery, Alabama)
•
Donald Trump (former president, 2016-2020)
•
2020 Wisconsin legislature (Republican-led)
•
Ari Berman (voting rights researcher/writer)
•
John Lewis (former U.S. Representative and 1960s civil rights activist)
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Personal Experiences/Perspectives 1. As a writer who has researched voting rights in depth, he reports on voting rights issues,
including voting restrictions, disenfranchisement, and allegations of voter fraud.
______________________________________
2. As a 1960s civil rights activist who helped organize the March from Selma to
Montgomery (which became known as Bloody Sunday), he experienced firsthand the
violent opposition to ending discriminatory voting laws that largely prevented Black
people from voting.
______________________________________
3. As lawmakers who believe that a higher voter turnout would benefit the opposing party,
they felt that it was important to hold the election as planned during the early days of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
______________________________________
4. As Milwaukee community-based activists in a predominantly poor, African American
neighborhood, they witness the difficulties people face in voting and the impact of voting
restrictions on people’s ability to vote and the chance that their votes will be counted.
______________________________________
5. As an attorney and activist who works to advance Republican political priorities, he feels
that voter fraud is a much bigger concern than the risk of disenfranchisement.
______________________________________
6. As a former state senator who grew up in 1950s-60s Alabama, he saw firsthand the
impact of race-based voter suppression. As the attorney who represented voting rights
activists wrongfully accused of voter fraud in 1984, he also witnessed firsthand the impact
of false claims of voter fraud.
______________________________________
7. As the former president who believes that massive voter fraud cost him the 2020
election, he feels that voter fraud is a much bigger concern than the risk of
disenfranchisement.
______________________________________
8. As the founder of the Equal Justice Institute (and its memorial for the thousands of
victims of lynching), he commemorates the struggle for voting rights and other civil rights.
His organization works to achieve a more just society for vulnerable communities and
individuals.
______________________________________
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Step 2:
Reflect on how each key figure’s personal experiences and political orientation
impact their beliefs and opinions about voting rights. Read Narratives 1 and 2 below and
answer the questions about the two opposing narratives on democracy and voting rights.
Narrative 1:
The long history of racial discrimination and violence associated with voting is not in the
distant past. Disenfranchisement of voters of color and vulnerable communities remains a
present threat. Large-scale voter fraud is a myth unsubstantiated by any evidence. False
assertions of massive voter fraud are not a legitimate reason for states to adopt voting
restrictions that disproportionately impact certain groups of people, making it harder for
them to vote. True democracy requires ensuring that every eligible voter can actually
exercise their right to vote and that everyone’s vote will be counted. Democratic ideals
require the government to make it easier for people to vote, not harder.
Narrative 2:
Voter suppression happened many years ago, but it is no longer a reality or a threat. Strict
voting restrictions are not discriminatory, because they apply to everyone equally. States
must take steps to prevent voter fraud by various measures, including requiring photo ID
in order to be able to vote. States have no obligation to ensure that every eligible voter can
actually exercise their right to vote and that everyone’s vote will be counted. If people are
unable or unwilling to get the documents required to register or exercise their right to vote,
or if they can’t follow the instructions on the ballot, that is not the government’s fault. The
ideals of democracy have already been achieved, because every adult has a constitutional
right to vote
1
.
1.
List the key figures from the documentary who agree with Narrative 1.
2.
List the key figures from the documentary who agree with Narrative 2.
3.
Which narrative frames the right to vote as a
fundamental individual right
? Which
narrative frames the right to vote as more of a
privilege
than a fundamental right?
1
***except for people convicted of a felony, in most states. People previously convicted of a felony lose their
right to vote for life in some states, while in other states, voting rights can be reestablished after people have
completed their full sentences. As of 2022, approximately 4.6 million Americans are disenfranchised under
state felony disenfranchisement laws.
©Education Beyond the Standard
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4.
John Lewis lived through the civil rights and voting rights struggle of the 1960s. As
one of the organizers of the March from Selma to Montgomery, he saw firsthand the
violent opposition to the efforts to secure voting rights for African Americans in the
South. How might his personal experiences and perspective have shaped his beliefs
about voting rights?
5.
Hans von Spakovsky is an attorney and conservative activist whose career has
centered around advancing the claim that voter fraud is a serious threat to
democracy. He has not personally experienced voting discrimination. How might
his personal experiences and perspective have influenced his beliefs about voting
rights?
6.
If a person grew up in a community that never faced voting discrimination, how
might this experience impact their beliefs about voting restrictions?
7.
If a person’s grandparents faced voting discrimination, how might this experience
impact their beliefs about voting restrictions?
8.
If a person sees voting as more of a
privilege
than a
right
, how might this impact
their beliefs about whether voting restrictions are acceptable or not?
©Education Beyond the Standard
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9.
If a person perceives the history of voter suppression as something that happened
fairly recently, how might this influence their beliefs about voting restrictions?
10.
How does the issue of voting rights invoke concepts of justice? What would justice
look like in the area of voting rights?
Step 3:
Reflect on your own personal experience/perspective and narrative about voting
rights. Take a few minutes to think about what democracy means to you, assumptions and
beliefs you might have about voting, and any personal, family, or community experiences
that may have shaped your narrative. Consider and discuss whether your narrative has
changed over time or been influenced by what you have learned in this documentary study.
Write 4-6 sentences about your voting rights narrative.
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Step 4: Write powerful, concise statements of guiding principles that you believe are
important in resolving conflicts and controversy in the area of voting rights. You may use
the sentence starters below or write at least 5 of your own guiding principles in the space
that follows.
«
Democracy means _________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
«
Fulfilling democratic ideals means ______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
«
The right to vote is ________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
«
“Justice” in the area of voting rights means _____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
«
It is the job of the government (federal and states) to _________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________