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We have like 30 more seconds. Bye. You know what it is, it's Tuesday, so it's time for a turn up. We are back in focusing on Wisconsin because you know a couple of weeks ago, there was a really big primary and we all saw the news reports. There were some good. There were some bad and there was everything in between and so on this turn up Tuesday like we do every single Tuesday. we're gonna focus on a community an issue or a state to shine light on the next 26 weeks cuz there's only 20 - six Tuesdays left until Election Day to ensure that every. Jambo voter can have a safe fair and accessible experience at the polls. I have a really great line up for us today for Turn Up Tuesday. First, we have Bianca Tosi from Voss de La Frontera, Marybeth Whitt bayes the City of Madison Clerk, Michael Ely, artists and activists and Shante Nelson. the state director for all voting, is local welcome to the turn up Y'all yay. How many times have you turned up on voting? I mean, come on you. You know, let's do it. okay. Alright. We don't have a whole lot of time. so let's just get right into it. Shante You're a Wisconsin voter. you work for all voting is local. tell us you were with us on our first turn up Tuesday, where we talked about Wisconsin and what's happening, give us a snapshot of what you learn from that day from since now, Okay, what we've learned basically here in Wisconsin, April seventh was. Unprecedented it was something that decision makers elected officials community leaders the public all alike. None of us were prepared to run an election in the midst of a crisis and the pandemic because of Insite just weeks before the election It made voting on Election day or in that process of election, very challenging the pandemic like I said it was it was unfamiliar to us. However, there were some lessons learned and if. We work together now if we act now, we can fix these things before November, so we have some possibility there, which is really great. we also have an election today which is going on and we're believing and hoping and we haven't heard a lot of issues. so we're hoping that some of the things the lessons that we've learned are being implemented. so when we think about Wisconsin in the state of Wisconsin problems that we've experienced aren't on election day aren't it's Wisconsin. These are things like we have stringent. and it simply exposed how bad those laws are no one was unscathed. this pandemic was just one more oppressive layer to not just on black and Brown voters, but those across the state and so some of the things that we've learned is that we have to work or to make an elections safe for voters we have to provide multiple expressions or multiple ways by which voters can cast your ballot of course in person. Early voting, We have to look at things like drop boxes. We have to look at just being creative and finding creative ways to create space where voters can cast their ballot and we're gonna get into some of those creative ways as we turn up today, hey or to that as we move within the conversation, okay, so a lot of people don't realize when they think about the election. a lot of folks think Oh, I'm gonna vote for President and then there's all these other elections that happened like one day and they don't pay attention to it. They also don't know they think You-know-who runs elections I Xs. Didn't really know all that much information until I really started working and voting rights who is running elections. So today we have the city of Madison's clerk with us, Mary Beth and I am so thankful because you are really holding down the front line to ensure that our elections are safe. Now we saw a lot of bad reports that happened in Wisconsin, but I hear word on the Street is we need to turn on you in a good way because you do it really you did things right in Madison. So can you share? Best practices of what you did for the primary and what you're thinking about doing leaning into the November election here, what we found was that voting does not work for everyone playing with Wisconsin's voter ID laws. Wisconsin has a very strict voter ID law and we only accept certain types of I D. There are a lot of ideas that logically you'd think would work improving who you are, but they're not acceptable and Wisconsin and then in the midst of. Ende if you are confined to your home and you don't have access to technology, you can't get your idea on file with the clerk in order to receive your absentee ballot. so we need to find ways to identify who's been disenfranchised with the current situation we have here in Wisconsin the voter ID on top of the pandemic and identify ways to address that if we just look at trying to make absentee voting. Available to everyone, that's not going to solve the underlying problems and we need to focus our resources in ways that are gonna help those who are being denied the right to vote through the voter ID accompanied by the pandemic and the need to stay home in order to protect your livelihood. Yeah, I mean Wisconsin's voter ID. Law is one for the record books for sure. it's what we don't want to see Stas doing Bianca wanna come to you now. Do a lot of work in the community accessibility for culturally and for people with disabilities is a really important thing that we focus on and turn up. Tuesdays. Can you talk a little bit about what County clerk secretaries of state governors people who administer elections need to be doing to ensure we hear a lot of work around in the black community, But what do people need to be doing to make sure that our next brothers and sisters are included and have an accessible way to vote. Well, I think. you know clearly illegible voters they they are able to function in English but for them for the Latino community, it's still a barrier to have everything in English. so I know that the parts of the website of my vote, Wisconsin are in Spanish and that's really helpful, but as Mary Beth was pointing out, these are the well in a way that this is a group. Of people who prefer to go and vote in person so because that's that's kind of a a a tradition they feel more comfortable. Maybe they they are accompanied by somebody up to the point where they go. You know, it's it's like it's so it is it is good to have that alternative even though. in this case, we were definitely encouraging people to not do that because we were very afraid for their health. so I mean to ask people to choose between. Voting and their health, It's just outrageous. It was just we could not believe it. In fact, this is the one that we had a rally around the the the Department of Health Services on the day of the election because a caravan not the rally car when we were all safely in our Carson because we could not believe this was happening because we were asking to put people's life, you know and on the line and I know Mary Beth did a fantastic job in Madison in terms of. A good number of really great number of polling places, but in Milwaukee that was like three percent of the normal polling places were available that that was just horrific. So I mean if if for Latino voters definitely to have a safe way to to to vote, it's important to have the forms be in Spanish because we're gonna keep encouraging people to do it online as much as possible to request their absentee ballots because this is gonna be for the long run. I think it's gonna be until November. And some of those instructions are very confusing. even for English speakers, You know we need a witness for the absentee ballot and I was having phone calls, sometimes with people who told me I'm the first I'm the first. This is the first time I vote. I'm the only person in my household who can vote what do I do about it? You know we have a lot of barriers in Wisconsin and in addition to the voter ID to get the absent the whole absentee ballot thing to work, but I mean between now and November, I hope. Can really work on solving some of those but then the question is how to keep safe to in terms of having the the voter the in-person voter voting alternative. Yeah, we definitely do not want a repeat of I think so yeah, we don't want that I mean, especially since it was just in Wisconsin if you can imagine it being across the country, I mean that is not what democracy is supposed to look like Michael. I come to you because you have such a large platform. You joined us at the beginning of the end I vote campaign. I mean I wouldn't normally say you could be anywhere. I mean actually right now. you can only be at your House, but you could be using your voice for a lot of different issues and you decided to focus on voting rights. Why why now why 2020 you know? why Wisconsin? What why use your platform in this moment? I think the key first of all thanks. thanks for having me. It's a pleasure to be on here with with everyone who's actually on the ground in this country. It's in right now actually doing the work I I really appreciate everything you all are doing. Thank you so much I think it's important because You know people talk about this election as being one of the most important elections of all time I I think the problem with that statement is the word this. I think all of the elections are important and I think if anything 2016 has shown us is that it's it's shown us how important each and every election is it's not just about the presidential election. It's about who's in Congress and you can see especially over the last four. Years how much power Congress wheels in terms of in terms of voter registration and in terms of voter ID laws, and in terms of you know in your local, your local politics and how they shape everything that affects your community. So if anything you know there's no time better than to than right now to try and amplify your voice in hopes of people coming out. Registered to vote and be ready to to have a voice in this democracy because what we've seen is kind of the deterioration of democracy over the last three or four years, and if you don't want that to happen if you have issues that you're concerned with whether it be immigration or or voter ID laws or you know health care you have to be involved. That's what the system is designed for you have to be involved. and if that means I gotta use my platform, I'll do whatever it takes. I'll do whatever it takes because I don't think we have Any more time to waste, I think sitting this one out is one of the worst mistakes that anyone can make you know your voice needs to be heard. it needs to be heard. That doesn't mean you're gonna win the election with the candidate that you want to win all the time, but your voice does need to be heard and the point of democracy is participation. So let's start there well we thank you and we thank everyone in Wisconsin for doing all of this work. Maribeth I wanna go back to you. Several of the speakers talked about being able to be safe. I think there's just this assumption that everyone should vote by mail and while the overwhelming majority of people probably will by November, use absentee ballots and mailing ballots, we know that the disability community Black and Brown communities low-income communities indigenous communities don't have the same access to mail as their White counterparts So as alu. in Madison, what are you going to do to ensure that people do have safe in person voting options? Well that starts with trying to make sure we have as many voting sites available as possible for election day and that's important in Wisconsin because we have election day voter registration available, we do not have the ability to update your voter registration when you update your address with the DMV as is available in other States. and so there are a lot of voters who are going to have to. Come to a site to register and either vote absentee in person or register at the polls and vote at the polls, and that's gonna be their only option because of issues with male and issues with technology to photocopy your proof of address or a full copy your ID and so some things that we're gonna have to do will be establishing sites where people can vote absentee. In person, which in other States is called early voting but in Wisconsin, you have to stay alive through election day for your ballot to count so technically the last but to have sites where people can do that and have social distance in available so the way we did that in April was to have our in-person absentee voters both curbside and have officials with a personal protective equipment. bring the ballot out to. Stand as far away as they could as they can the valid over on a clipboard and then sanitize supplies in between each folder that was really popular. But for some people, transportation is going to be an issue and on election day if we do our job right, you will have a polling place available not too far from where you live and you could vote from the curve of that polling place. That might be your best option if you have some underlying health conditions or are trying to. isolate yourself as much as possible, given the Corona virus concerns that we have right now or if you go into the polling place, we need to make sure that there's plenty of hand sanitizer that we're sanitizing everything between voters that we have enough space for social distancing and we have personal protective equipment for all of our coworkers, so it can be done People should just call clerk what's a bail and ask for her blueprint and It in your city and in your state because we need to keep voters safe if you're watching and you have a question, you can put it in the comments and we can try and get to it before we end our conversation for our turn up. Okay Shante. So I hear you talk a lot about what the voter experience on that April seventh. I hear you talk about what you experienced on that seven and we don't like to make you know false comparisons on the turn up or in. But it reminds me of when we launched this campaign in Selma and we saw John Lewis take to the Edmond Pettis Bridge where he was beaten and when I mean he risked his life for the franchise and just 55 years later, he's came back to that same spot to tell that story and then fast forward, it was actually just about a month from the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of bloody Sunday, where we had Wisconsinites having to risk their lives to go vote in some places. What do you tell? Boulder, who's just like you know what they don't care about me. I'm done. I'm not gonna engage how do you get them to say? no you will be safe know that you can't do absentee ballot like what do you say to those voters? I think we say I think Michael put it just if I can share some of his sentiments again or repeat some of his sentiments. I think we tell those voters that this is not the time or the option. We don't really have the option if you really care about our livelihood to sit out this is not the time. To disengage, it's not the time to position ourselves where we don't realize the power that we have. I have always said this as you hear me, say all the time that we as a collective of voters, we are the ones who carry the power we have the capacity to lobby legislators to educate legislators to position ourselves what we have access to legislators and we have the capacity to hold those legislators accountable and to organize around holding those. Leaders accountable And so because of that, I think the thing that I would, I will always do is I will go back to empowering that voter again, allowing that voter to see and literally find their way to be positioned in their power and I will I think I will never allow myself to be a catalyst for limiting a person's power and so I will always encourage them to. Reengage find their way to reengage. Of course, I always try to connect since everyday lived experience to the voting process because of them to identify why it's important and if we can help people to find their why in our election process, I think we can help people to stay engaged. Yeah. I mean, Oh, go ahead. Yeah. Take it back on that. I think this is something you and I talked about at the at the the the photo shoot in terms of you know this idea that your vote will not count that. Don't matter it's not gonna be like this is not the healthiest way to approach this whole situation, one and two. I understand that in for a lot of people, especially in this country, the status quo is not very good. It's not very good and it seems like it's not gonna get better again. I don't wanna paint a dire picture, but it is a dire situation. It's going to. Get worse If you don't participate, it's it's not going to get better even if things stay the same for four years, we have to acknowledge that to a certain extent they didn't get worse and that's good and once you have to like you have to get involved in order for things to get better more people like you have to get involved for things to get better. That's the only way participation is key if you decide not to participate, then complaining about the status quo feels like a point to me. You're you're not participating so Nothing's going to change nothing will ever change. Yeah if you do not participate in not just in boating but in life you have to participate, I couldn't agree with you more. I mean I feel like you know if you're on this turn up Tuesday call you are a part of our effort, but we can't do it alone. You know Leadership Conference is a coalition and we believe we're stronger together. so that's why we need Michaels. That's why we need clerks. That's why we need advocates like Bianca and Chante to be a part of this fight because no one person is gonna get it done. So if you already believe what we. Saying you need to go to five other people and convince them what we're saying is you know self agency is really important, but we have the power to scale this thing to make real change. Bianca. It was like Michael Set me up for this question to come to you. So if I'm in Wisconsin and I wanna get involved with the work that you're doing how can I? I think your Munna Bianca oh, it was it to me. So I didn't. I didn't hear that part time here my name. I'm sorry. that's so no you can contact us at the so the website is dot ORG and definitely you can contact me in Madison and I can you know that if you go to the to the actual website, you can see my number for the Madison Chapter. I say the website. It's the victor Daniel Frank Victor Daniel Prank Yeah, dot ORG and so that we have a very so the Cfour arm What's afta. It's in the action arm and we definitely are very engaged in electoral work and we were also in 2018 and we saw. Good results there with with Turning Waters out for you know for the gubernatorial election and we hope that we will turn out many thousands of voters or help them. you know help this franchise voters of you know, come out and and get registered and then come out that day and for Latino voters. this is this is like very clear path you know that we see in November, It's just to get the barrier. Down for people to actually be able to to get to the polling place to request an out to you know to understand all the parts that are important in the voter ID issue. That's a big hurdle and then if you're working, you don't know you might not be able to get to the polling place. It's it's it's it's fun to be bad for us the current the status quo as you say it's completely untenable and it's it's really. Not Yes, I just can't go on like that. so we're coming out. It's it's I think most so we're coming up towards the end of our time that we're gonna spend turn it up on Wisconsin, but we're gonna be doing activities throughout the whole week. I have one last question that I want each of my guests to answer and I'm gonna say with the question is and then just say one story so I'd like to end every segment because we do talk about how things need to change and I agree you know things are. Right now, but one way to keep us sustained and nourished as we fight every single day to ensure folks have a fair accessible and safe election is hope and so I'm curious and this moment where we're all conine in our homes. What's the one thing giving you hope throughout this period and I'm gonna start with you But before on the last turn up, I told you I had to update my voter registration now let me tell you I went. I tried to do it. I couldn't figure it out. you would think I could it shouldn't be that. But I ask somebody, I said, Hey, I I was talking to a colleague. I was like I can't figure this out And she helped me so if you find yourself finding barriers and being confused about the process, don't know you're not at it alone. You have the people on this conference call you have people throughout your community that are here to help you can go to and still alive Vote dot Org because you don't have to don't sit out the process just because you can't figure something out. Ask for help and we are here to help you get ensure you get a ballot, get registered and come. Safely on Election Day, Okay, Shante coming to you 30 seconds What gives you hope you know this is so funny you set me up and you didn't even realize you set me up. Hey, you know that's what we're doing to turn up. Yes. What gives me hope is community. That is one thing that I've constantly voiced on April seventh for all that went on. I saw one of the greatest expressions of community that I have seen in the state of Wisconsin in a very long time where we can come together and we can work together to ensure that all voices can be heard. Mary Beth What gives you hope what gives me hope is this past April that although there were people in power that were trying to stop Wisconsin residents from voting Wisconsin residents jump through hurdles in order to cast their vote and to exercise that right but then that encourages me to work harder to make sure that those who try to overcome those obstacles. get some assistance in the upcoming elections so they are able to exercise their right to vote. Thank you Bianca. What gives you hope? So the youth a lot that they give me hope so much. I I talked to several kids who were just turned 18 and this was their first election. They say April seventh and it was just beautiful to hear their excitement and and listen to them that they will work hard towards the upcoming elections. So beautiful Michael. Sorry, Bianca keep cutting off cuz you're a little delayed my bad Michael. What gives you hope I'm gonna actually say history. you know I think we have proven over time and through throughout history that typically when there is some sort of unifying factor that is oppressing us whether it be you know World War one World War two or you know 911 like we as a country tend to galvanize behind one particular purpose and we have a big. Big election this this this fall and you know hopefully with this pandemic we will all we're all starting to see how fragile things are and in order to show things up. We have to come together. We we just have to come together. all of us have to come together and what I'm really hoping for is that somehow someway you know the effects of Kogan really actually galvanize people to get involved galvanize people to start seeing change in their community show up the foundation that has been rendered somewhat fragile by this. And by the handling of this pandemic well, you heard it on this turn up. you ain't gonna hear it anywhere else early voting online voting or online voter registration early in-person, safe voting and absentee voting. If you wanna get involved, you can go to And Still I vote dot Org. You can turn up with us every Tuesday at 530. I wanna thank Bianca Mary Beth Michael and Shante for joining us for this turn up. We couldn't do it without you. We will win We will. Make sure we have a fair safe and accessible election and we need all of you who are eligible to vote to register and to vote. Thank you. Thank you turn it up. Bye everyone. Bye. Bye. Thank you. Bye. Thanks.