Civil Rights Groups Urge Vote-by-Mail Elections

Sonali Kolhatakr speaks with Derrick Johnson, the President of the NAACP. Johnson had previously served as the vice-chairman of the NAACP's national board of directors and the president of the Mississippi state chapter of the NAACP.

The stimulus bill that both the Senate and House just passed includes several hundred million dollars to fund the expansion of voting by mail and other election safeguards.

The final amount that is in legislation is just a fifth of what the original House version of the bill had sought. The Brennan Center for Justice has estimated that at least $2 billion are needed to safeguard the general election in November.

Given the lengths that incumbent President Donald Trump appears to be capable of going to in order to win an election, the coronavirus pandemic could serve to thwart election participation and undermine the strength of American democracy – at a time when it is needed more than ever.

Rising Up with Sonali is a radio and television show that brings progressive news coverage rooted in gender and racial justice to a wide audience.

Rising Up With Sonali was built on the foundation of Sonali Kolhatkar's earlier show, Uprising, which became the longest-running drive-time radio show on KPFK in Los Angeles hosted by a woman.

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