Voting Agendas Called Out With All In: The Fight For Democracy

 

My entire life, the image of my Great Grandfather putting on his Sunday best and walking for over an hour to cast his vote has been permanently seared into my consciousness.  So much so, that I have never missed an opportunity to vote in any election…EVER.  November 2016 was suppose to be a glorious day.  A day, alongside my mother, I would witness two women being victorious in the world of politics. The anticipation  rivaled my birthday or anxiously waiting to attack presents as a child on Christmas morning.  My mother and I dressed and prepared for our day to culminate in the news that history would be made by the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as President of the United States and Stacey Abrams being named as the first Black female Governor in America.  Results would not be shared until the wee hours of the morning and when I awoke, I was devastated.  Both women would be defeated by very narrow margins due to voter suppression, polling relocations and purging from ballots.  Issues that all fall under the Voting Rights Act, which has slowly and intentionally been dismantled by the current administration.   Even now, they continue to suppress vote by removing mailboxes dismantling machines and attempting to thrwart mail-in and absentee votes.

History has never been a straight line.  America is navigating in uncharted waters, living and desperately fighting for democracy as our fate lies within who emerges victorious with the next election lurking two months away.  We are left asking the question of what the clear and present danger is if Donald Trump being re-elected?

In anticipation of the 2020 presidential election, ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY examines the insidious issue of voter suppression interweaving personal experiences with activism and historical insight exposing a problem that has corrupted our country from the embryo stages. Led with the perspective and expertise of Stacey Abrams (Former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives), this documentary delves into the  laws and barriers regarding voting most don’t even know are threats to our basic rights as American citizens.

In coordination with the film, the filmmakers with support from foundations, private funders, and Amazon Studios are launching #ALLINFORVOTING a non-partisan social impact campaign aimed at educating and registering first-time voters, mobilizing communities to turn out to vote, and training citizens to know their rights and report voter suppression. In addition to Fair Fight, key partners include: Advancement Project, Alliance for Youth Action, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, All Voting Is Local, Black Voters Matter, Campus Voter Project, Community Change, Election Protection, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, HeadCount, Indivisible, Jewish Women International, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, LUCHA, Movement Voter Project, National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), People for the American Way, Rock the Vote, Southern Poverty Law Center, Voto Latino Foundation, and When We All Vote.If we really examine and take a cold, hard look at the Articles of the constitution, which include the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th amendments, one will discover equality in voting  is not necessarily the case. So much so, that when Stacey Abrams arrived at her polling place, she was promptly informed of her on the ballot.  Only because she had outlets like CNN with cameras over her shoulder was the situation resolved.  Imagine what happened for millions of citizens who didn’t have media with them.  The ones whose health or age didn’t allow them to stand in lines for hours or citizens still psychologically damaged at the mere prospect of attempting to cast a vote.

Remember Donald Trump actually lost the 2016 election by 2.9 million votes.  He won by electoral votes and it was reported that nearly 3 million people voted illegally.  You do the math.  If you value freedom to choose and express an opinion, then you have no choice but to get out and exercise your right to vote.

Directors Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes did a fantabulous job of laying out the historical ramification of how we ended up here in 2020 aided by Abrams Desmond Meade, Carol Anderson and many other who break down the process within an inch of its life.  If there were ever a time for a filmmaker to release an in-depth cinematic political history lesson…it is right NOW.

In coordination with the film, the filmmakers with support from foundations, private funders, and Amazon Studios are launching #ALLINFORVOTING a non-partisan social impact campaign aimed at educating and registering first-time voters, mobilizing communities to turn out to vote, and training citizens to know their rights and report voter suppression. In addition to Fair Fight, key partners include: Advancement Project, Alliance for Youth Action, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, All Voting Is Local, Black Voters Matter, Campus Voter Project, Community Change, Election Protection, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, HeadCount, Indivisible, Jewish Women International, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, LUCHA, Movement Voter Project, National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), People for the American Way, Rock the Vote, Southern Poverty Law Center, Voto Latino Foundation, and When We All Vote.

All In: The Fight For Democracy is a must see for any man, woman and child of America in order to understand how we discovered democracy and why we must fight to keep it. Produced by Stacey Abrams, Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortes and Dan Cogan in association with Amazon Studios  – ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY will be released in theaters September 9th, 2020 and on Prime Video September 18th, 2020.