WCPT 820 Interview: Samantha Tarazi of Voting Rights Lab

Edwin Eisendrath is joined by Samantha Tarazi, chief executive officer of Voting Rights Lab.

"We track and analyze voting and elections laws," Tarazi told WCPT, "and also propose changes to those laws via legislation in all 50 states. We look at and highlight how to strengthen our elections, and we also sound the alarm when election threats emerge. And I think there are a number of things to be focusing on right now in that category."

Tarazi highlighted Trump's attempts to disrupt elections and disfranchise voters, in part through executive actions to address voter "integrity."

"Trump does not have authority to mandate how our elections are run," Tarazi said. "So I actually don't believe that any of these executive orders or these threatened executive orders are designed to withstand legal scrutiny. Most of his March executive order has already been struck down by the courts. I think it's actually more important to think about it and to understand it as a set of marching orders to Trump's allies in the states, because it's the states that then rush to fast-track proof-of-citizenship legislation. And all told, 27 states introduced and rushed forward proof-of-citizenship bills this year. There is some good news, Edwin, which is actually not a single state adopted Trump's core demand of requiring passports or birth certificates." 

Tarazi emphasized the importance of early registration, early voting and non-discretionary election certification laws to bolster election integrity. 

Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/the-big-picture).   

And find “The Big Picture (Full Episodes)” podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, YouTube, Amazon and TuneIn.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.