Podcast Summary: The New Yorker Radio Hour
Episode: Voter Suppression in the Twenty-First Century
Date: November 30, 2018
Host: David Remnick
Featured Guest: Carol Anderson, Professor at Emory University
Main Topic: Contemporary voter suppression tactics in the U.S., their historical roots, and the ongoing role of race in American politics.
Overview
This episode delves deeply into the modern landscape of voter suppression in the United States, particularly following the 2013 weakening of the Voting Rights Act. Host David Remnick discusses with historian Carol Anderson how present-day policies—often justified as anti-fraud measures—tend to disproportionately hinder African American and Democratic-leaning voters. Anderson situates today’s strategies within a longer history of racially motivated disenfranchisement and argues that "white rage" and a zero-sum mentality still drive much opposition to expanding voting rights.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Complex and Deliberate Obstacles to Voting
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Georgia Gubernatorial Race (00:10–03:07)
- Stacey Abrams, while running for governor in 2018, nearly could not vote due to administrative mishaps—a microcosm of broader voter suppression.
- In Atlanta, voters faced up to "four and a half hour" waits (01:38), missing voting machines, and a shortage of provisional ballots.
- The "exact match" rule in Georgia placed 53,000 registrations in limbo, "70% of them were African American" (02:38).
“In the areas around Atlanta… there was a four and a half hour wait time because they didn’t have the power cords for the voting machines.”
—Carol Anderson [01:38]“If any of the information doesn't match up exactly... your voter registration is put in this limbo... 70% of them were African American.”
—Carol Anderson [02:38]
The Endurance and Nature of "White Rage"
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Definition and Impact (03:07–05:43)
- Anderson defines "white rage" not as open hostility but as “methodical, systematic, bureaucratic power that undermines African Americans' advances” (03:22).
- This rage underlies efforts to prevent electoral victories by black politicians such as Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum.
- "White rage," she posits, frames equality as a zero-sum game for whites.
“It is about something being stolen from whites. And that is the conversation that whites have to have within their own communities.</br>This isn’t about stealing from them. This is about empowering and making America stronger.”
—Carol Anderson [05:16]
Historical Continuities in Voter Suppression
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From Jim Crow to the Present (05:43–06:58)
- Tactics may be more "sophisticated," but the impetus and effect remain similar to pre-1965 barriers.
- Old laws exploited "societally imposed characteristics" like illiteracy (from underfunded black schools) and poverty.
- Today’s laws similarly undermine black suffrage, sidestepping the 15th Amendment.
“The spirit is the same… all of these things were designed to, to get around the 15th amendment…”
—Carol Anderson [06:10]
Quantifying the Impact
- Voter ID Laws and Disenfranchisement (06:58–07:41)
- Wisconsin (2016): “8% of whites and 27% of African Americans were prevented from voting because of... voter ID laws.”
- North Carolina's law similarly targeted black voters, which courts described as “nearly surgical precision” (07:10).
Enfranchisement Victories and their Roots
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Florida's Felon Re-Enfranchisement (07:41–08:41)
- Black voting expanded only as part of a years-long grass-roots effort.
- Original laws against felons voting were enacted as a reaction to Black male suffrage following Reconstruction.
“That felony disfranchisement law came out of Reconstruction... and it was a response to the Reconstruction act of 1867 that provided African American men had the right to vote. And so you see this kind of backlash against black voting.”
—Carol Anderson [08:23]
2020 and Political Strategy
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Democratic Dilemmas (08:41–10:19)
- Debates over whether Democrats should court Trump voters.
- Anderson warns: "You will not win by trying to appeal to those where racism is their driver" (09:19).
- She describes the limits of cross-appeal: those who condone harsh policies like child separation or ignore racial violence cannot be persuaded via policy concessions alone.
“You can’t. You can’t. You can’t.”
—Carol Anderson [10:18], on reconciling with voters who justify or ignore racist policies.
The Psychological Barriers: Zero-sum Thinking
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White Perceptions of Loss (10:19–12:52)
- Even when whites benefit from programs like the Affordable Care Act, some resist out of the belief that others ("undeserving" minorities) might get more.
- Anderson suggests that meaningful change requires white Americans to recognize and reject the "zero-sum" framing.
“White rage does damage, and we have to understand the depth of that damage.”
—Carol Anderson [12:46]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the legacy of civil rights legislation:
“The majority of whites who have voted have not voted for a Democratic candidate for president since 1964 after Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights act.”
—Carol Anderson [04:40] -
On the mechanics of suppression:
“These states recognize this when they write these laws. North Carolina knew it... [the 4th Circuit said] you have targeted African Americans with nearly surgical precision.”
—Carol Anderson [07:24] -
On necessary conversations:
“Whites really have to have the conversation with whites about how this thing really works, about the damage that it really does and how it violates every principle that they say they hold dear.”
—Carol Anderson [11:49]
Key Timestamps
- 00:10 – Introduction; modern context post-Voting Rights Act and introduction of Carol Anderson
- 01:38 – Georgia’s election day issues (wait times, machine shortages)
- 02:38 – "Exact match" rule and racial impact
- 03:22 – Definition of “white rage”
- 05:16 – The zero-sum game framing and its role in voter suppression
- 06:10 – Historical echoes of disenfranchisement tactics
- 07:10 – Voter ID laws and quantifiable disenfranchisement
- 07:41 – Florida’s felon re-enfranchisement campaign
- 09:19 – Anderson's advice to Democratic strategists
- 10:18 – The limits of appealing to voters who support discriminatory policies
- 11:49 – The need for introspective work among white Americans
Conclusion
This episode powerfully situates current voter suppression within the unbroken thread of American history, tracing how bureaucracy, policy, and psychological narratives reinforce patterns of racial exclusion at the ballot box. Carol Anderson posits that only by confronting these hard truths—and challenging the zero-sum narratives within white communities—can the country move toward genuinely inclusive democracy.