Jon Stewart and Stacey Abrams aren’t holding back when it comes to the challenges local elections and politicians face. The two broke down the integrity of modern voting in a clip exclusively obtained by TheWrap.
In the latest episode of “The Weekly with Jon Stewart,” Abrams pointed to the budget cuts local election officials have faced and how that has impacted their ability to help voters.
“You make it hard for them to do their job. You take the money away, and then you say, ‘Well, why didn’t you do this job better?’ We’ve got to hold the system accountable, and the system has faces and names, and we know the names because they’re on the ballots,” Abrams said. “Whoever wins the election, they’re now responsible for making the next election better. That’s your state legislator, your governor, your Secretary of State, it’s your county commissioners.”
The former Georgia State Representative and voting rights advocate went on to say that there’s a correlation between more restrictive voting measures, such as gerrymandering, and states where there has been a change in democracy.
“The reality is, whoever has power, who tries to keep that power by keeping you silent should not get to hold that power,” Abrams said. “We have the responsibility to tell our elected officials to do better, but we also cannot be so focused on the headlines that we miss the details. Democracy dies in the details. That’s what’s happening with voter suppression, and that’s where I’m the most concerned.”
That last bit struck Stewart, who physically pulled back from his microphone as he took it in. “That should be the masthead of the Washington Post,” Stewart said.
In addition to Abrams, Stewart is joined by Microsoft Democracy Forward program senior director Matt Masterson as they lay bare the real vulnerabilities and safeguards of the U.S. voting system in the aftermath of 2020 and as voting for the 2024 election is underway.
The latest episode of “The Weekly Show,” titled “Election 2024: How Secure is Your Vote?,” premieres on Thursday. The Comedy Central podcast is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Audio.
Watch the full clip in the video above.
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