audiobook Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman in History

Review

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful. Essential; riveting and vivid.By J. SattlerGive Us the Ballot is the history of how the Voting Rights Act came into being; took hold and changed America. It's also the story of the conservative undertow that contested the law from its beginning; recognized its value in shifting the polarities of our two major parties via "The Southern Strategy" and then launched a counterrevolution during the Reagan Administration set on undermining the law before the nation's changing demographics could pose a serious threat to the right's southern and rural hegemony.You'll recognize many of the stars of the conservative effort to limit voting rights -- from William Rehnquist to John Roberts to Ted Cruz. But it's the life of John Lewis who provides the through line of Berman's spirited narrative. From Selma to Shelby; Lewis is a participant and a witness to the massive changes he helped force and the backlash those changes sparked. No testimony is more stirring or crucial to understanding the stakes -- both moral and political -- involved in providing America's most vulnerable citizens access to the ballot.“How many of you are going to leave here and remember the blood of the martyrs?” William J. Barber; the architect of North Carolina’s Moral Mondays movement that rose up in part to oppose the right’s attack on voting rights; asked a crowd in 2014.Berman’s book is asking us that same question.18 of 18 people found the following review helpful. A powerful and provocative look at attempts to limit the right to voteBy Mr. Michael C. MorrowThis book provides a superb history of the events leading to the Voting Rights Act; and the history of the impact of the Voting Rights Act; including countless efforts to limit the voting or impact of minority voters. The book also makes clear that the impetus behind voter fraud concerns and restrictions on early voting and registration is really an attempt to limit the voting of the poor and minority voters. Royal Masset; the former executive director of the Texas Republican party said that "anyone who says that a lack of voter ID won't discriminate against otherwise legal minority voters is lying" and said voter ID laws were "sheer racism" designed to suppress Democratic voters (at 259-260). Cutbacks in early voting hours were defended by the Republican party chair in Ohio who said we "shouldn't contort the voting process to accommodate the urban-read African-American-voter-turnout machine" (at 264).2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Keep fighting!By FnDanTremendous and shocking history of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the continued struggle for voting access to present day. It was disturbing to read how vigorously Southern conservatives fought passage of the VRA and still continue to try to pass laws to restrict access to the vote for young; poor and minorities under the guise of "fighting voter fraud" (though NO credible evidence exists that voter fraud is a legitimate problem in our elections.)Though the country has made great strides since the 60's in terms of access to the vote and political representation for African Americans; Berman makes the strong case the that provisions of the VRA are as important today as they were 50 years ago; despite what the Supreme Court ruled in the damaging 2013 case weakening the Act.Conservatives realize that their message is out-dated; and the only way to sustain their power is to try to suppress the vote of citizens who disagree with them...disgusting stuff.We owe it to the brave activists of the Civil Rights movement who bled and died for suffrage to keep fighting to ensure that ALL voices can be heard in the American democracy.