Voting Now: Turning Rights into Reality

Oregon Historical Society | Oregon Federal Bar Association

5.0 (13)
Education

Our podcast is made by lawyers, for everyone. We tackle the sticky questions about democracy through the lens of voting access. Our guests include community leaders, activists, scholars, and students who have agreed to share their insight on the heroes of our past, the inequities that persist, and the movements inviting your participation.

04/05/2021

Keeping the government accountable and transparent

Trust is the foundation for democracy; without it, people don't willingly engage with government policy. Our guest today is Jennifer McGuirk who keeps government agencies accountable. Jennifer is Multnomah County’s Auditor which means that she examines data to determine if there's been, abuse or mismanagement of government programs. Since being sworn into office in 2019 the auditor's office, under Jennifer’s oversight, has released multiple reports touching on topics including services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and Multnomah County's response to the covid-19 pandemic. In our interview, we discuss what compelled Jennifer to run for office, redistricting, and how auditors office works with the community. If you suspect fraud, waste, and abuse of position contact the Good Government Hotline: 888-289-6839. Calls are not recorded and caller ID is disabled.
03/22/2021

Kathleen Saadat: Velvet and Steel

Kathleen Saadat has been called the conscience of Portland, Oregon. Here, Saadat talks about organizing Portland’s first gay pride parade, as well as the campaign to beat Measure 9 in 1992, a homophobic amendment to the Oregon Constitution. Kathleen also discussed coalition building and intersectional organizing as well as her work with the Portland Police Bureau and her thoughts on Black Lives Matter. Cliff Jones, a Portland activist calls Kathleen a " ‘connector.’ No matter the issue, he says she strives to 'reach across differences.' ‘I describe her as velvet and steel,’ Jones says. ‘She’s incredibly compassionate and sees the humanity in everyone, even those with whom she vehemently disagrees. At the same time, her mind is a matrix, thinking down and across and over and under, seeing every side of an issue.’" Kathleen has lived a remarkable life: at the age of 77, she released her first album, Love for Sale, which she recorded with the internationally acclaimed band Pink Martini.
03/08/2021

Training Democratic women to run for office…and win

Women makeup 51% of the US population and yet account for only 24% of the Senate and 27% of the House of Representatives. How can women start to change that landscape? Jillian Schoene, Emerge Oregon’s departing Executive Director, joins us to discuss how her organization trains and empowers Democratic women to run for public office. Highlights and soundbites from the interview No one runs and wins alone. 4:26-What I love about our program is…the cohort model because these women get to know each other and then when they do go on to run for office they can contact each other and be supported by each other. Or be reminded by them about how to do X Y or Z because it's impossible to remember it all and no one runs in wins alone. Local politics 8:34 “I think there's a lot of attention on the state and the Congressional level but we have women that are just thriving in leadership roles at the school board and parks and district, levels, (and city council)and that is really where policy is implemented really quickly and impacts people's lives immediately. Why it’s important to focus on training women from outside of Portland, OR to run for office 11:36 You know from Bend, or Pendleton, OR Klamath Falls…Those are women that we definitely need to be working with…because most likely in their communities the left side of the spectrum is probably not being represented…Probably no one else on that City Council or School Board shares your values and so getting them ready to run and at those decision making tables, it's incredibly important for the long-term health of democracy in our state. Most of the Emerge Oregon candidates are working parents 16:33: "Most of our women who run are also working parents and so I campaign is like the third or fourth thing on their plate and so you know when they have a question… I try to respond as quickly as possible because I know the time is ticking" 23:30: "Democracy is all of our responsibilities, including recruiting and choosing our elected leaders"
02/15/2021

Leigh Chapman: Fighting for The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and more

While the 2020 Presidential Election saw an unprecedented voter turnout, the fight to end voter suppression and discrimination rages on. We’re joined by Leigh Chapman, Senior Director of the Voting Rights Program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, to discuss today’s barriers to the ballot box, legislative efforts combating them such as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act(HR4), and the For People Act Act (HR1). Chapman and our host (Janice Hebert) discu...
02/08/2021

The Power of the Native American Vote

Attorney Molly Washington discusses the Native American vote with Amanda WhiteEagle and journalist, Anna V. Smith who covers indigenous affairs for High Country News. In 2020 WhiteEagle ran to represent District 92 in the Wisconsin State Assembly, in this interview she discusses the hurdles she faced and the lessons she learned. The three of them discuss the role the Native American vote played in the 2020 election and the significance of President Biden appointing Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) to act as the first Native American secretary to the interior.
01/11/2021

Hidden history & the suffragist movement

Mary Beatty should be a well-known figure in women's history: she was one of the first Black women (west of the Mississippi) to publicly advocate for woman suffrage. Decades before women won the right to vote, Mary Beatty and 3 other white women attempted to vote. When asked why they voted, each responded: “I am an American citizen, and have the right to vote.” The next year, she participated in the first convention of the Oregon State Woman Suffrage Association. These are just a few of the accomplishments in Mary Beatty’s life. Yet despite her achievements, very little was known about Mary Beatty until last year. We spoke to, Jean Ward, who researched Mary Beatty’s story. Ward is a Professor Emerita of Communication at Lewis & Clark College. Professor Ward spoke to our lead host, Celia Howes about Beatty’s life and how she uncovered Beatty’s story in history. Gathering research was difficult, a process that Ward said made her feel like she was in “the Hansel and Gretel story, following the crumbs as you go into the forest,” but bit by bit the story came together.”
01/04/2021

The triumph of the 2020 election. what we learned. Myrna Pérez.

Despite significant obstacles, the US had the highest voter turnout since 1908. How did it happen? Myrna Pérez, director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program, joined us to discuss what we accomplished in the 2020 election, what we learned, and what comes next.
12/28/2020

What is the Latinx vote?

Is there even such a thing as the Latinx vote? It’s not the monolith some may think. So says Jessica Vega Pederson, Commissioner for Multnomah County, Oregon and the state’s first Latina House Representative. In this episode, Jessica touches on why Latinx voters should be appreciated for their diversity, the importance of Latinx representation at the local and national level, how to dismantle barriers that prevent women and people of color from flourishing, and much more.

Trailer

Introducing Voting Now

This year marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States. As we have seen over the past century and in even in recent months, many battles have been and remain to be fought to guarantee full and equitable access to the ballot. Women showed heroism and courage fighting in the front lines for suffrage a century ago, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color have continued to lead the fight since that time to gain equitable voting rights for all. Their actions serve as an example for what must still be done to secure voting rights. In collaboration with the Oregon Historical Society and in honor of this important anniversary, the Oregon Chapter of the Federal Bar Association is pleased to share with you a series of podcasts focused on the historical and ongoing fight for the universal and meaningful right to vote. Featured speakers include community leaders, voting rights activists, students and legal scholars. We hope this series, which we have entitled “Voting Now: Turning Rights Into Reality,” educates you about the history of discrimination in voting and inspires you to join the list of heroes who have fought and continue to fight for this critical pillar of our democracy.

5

out of 5

13 Ratings

Our podcast is made by lawyers, for everyone. We tackle the sticky questions about democracy through the lens of voting access. Our guests include community leaders, activists, scholars, and students who have agreed to share their insight on the heroes of our past, the inequities that persist, and the movements inviting your participation.

Creator

Oregon Historical Society | Oregon Federal Bar Association
Years Active

2020 - 2021
Episodes

20
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Voting Now: Turning Rights into Reality
Show Website

Voting Now: Turning Rights into Reality