The Pour Over Today - Bonus Episode: 2024 Election Topics - Election Integrity

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey TPO listeners, it's Jason Woodruff, founder of The Poor Over. Before we get into today's news, we wanted to celebrate. This podcast just passed 5 million downloads. Thank you so much for being a listener and taking part in our vision to help Christians have a spiritually healthy relationship with the news. To mark the milestone, we are giving away $505 Chick-fil-A gift cards. Simply leave a review, take a screenshot and email it to news at theporeover.org. Honestly, you will probably win because $500 is a lot of chicken gift cards.

Starting point is 00:00:33 Thank you so much for being a supporter in this contentious election season. In a special episode of The Pore Over Today, we're explaining the debate about election integrity, including where VP Harris and former President Trump stand. This is the seventh episode of our election collection, designed to help us grow in understanding and compassion on key 2024 election topics. The U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to vote to U.S. citizens, the 14th Amendment, regardless of race, in the 15th Amendment, and sex, in the 19th Amendment, as long as they're 18 years old on or before Election Day, in the 26th Amendment. Beyond that, rules vary by state.

Starting point is 00:01:25 Many states require voters to have been a resident for some period of time, for example, 30 days, and or restrict voting for people convicted of a felony or declared mentally unfit. Almost half require a valid government-issued photo ID. Every state except North Dakota requires voters to register. Outright voter fraud, for example, ineligible voting, voting twice, or buying votes, is very rare. According to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank,

Starting point is 00:01:55 there have been 1,546 proven cases of voter fraud since 1982, which represents about 0.00015% of all votes. However, some have other concerns about election integrity. Here are some relevant terms. Ballot harvesting – the practice of passing out ballots door-to-door in politically strategic neighborhoods and then, depending on the state, carrying the completed ballots to a drop box. Foreign interference. Foreign governments attempting to influence the outcome of the election through misinformation campaigns,

Starting point is 00:02:34 usually on social media platforms. Early voting. When polling centers open early and allow voters to cast their ballots in person before Election Day. Vote by mail, when voters complete their ballot at home and mail it in or deposit it in a designated drop box, typically before election day with a signature to validate their identity. Absentee voting, similar to mail-in voting, but it often requires a valid excuse for not voting in person on election day, for example, military families stationed overseas. Machine counting, the use of scanners to count someone's physical ballot.

Starting point is 00:03:13 Most ballots are counted this way, with the physical ballots kept for recounts by hand. DRE voting machines, computers that allow citizens to vote in person electronically, typically without a paper trail. They are available to about 7% of voters and are becoming less popular. Both Democrats and Republicans want fair elections, but they disagree on what that means and how to accomplish it. We'll be back with what Republicans and Democrats say and some common ground after a quick break.

Starting point is 00:03:46 Hi, it's Kathleen, Head of Content here at The Poor Over. I love it when sermons walk me very, very slowly through a passage of God's Word. I love seeing a breakdown of words, contexts, and themes with relevant prompts for deeper thought. With the Life Application Study Bible, I can get that sort of depth of study right at home. It takes me beyond knowing the Bible to living it out. For readers from 9 to 90 and beyond, the Life Application Study Bible is designed to help you find true heart transformation. Explore the best-selling study Bible in the world. Visit the link in our show notes to get your own life application study Bible today.

Starting point is 00:04:34 Republicans generally favor higher election security. Believing elections are fairest when committing voter fraud is more difficult, and voters are confident their ballot was counted correctly. They are generally critical of ballot harvesting and voting machines. They are often proponents of voting in-person on election day and removing people from registration lists if they have not voted recently or reconfirmed their registration. Republicans argue these measures lead to more trustworthy outcomes and higher voter confidence. Democrats generally favor removing obstacles to voting, believing elections are most fair when the most voices are heard.

Starting point is 00:05:14 They are often proponents of automatically registering all eligible citizens and expanding mail-in voting to all voters, saying in-person voting on a Tuesday is an unnecessary burden, especially on low-income citizens. Democrats generally believe making voting easier will increase representation, not fraud. There is a fair bit of common ground. 81% support requiring government-issued photo IDs, 76% support allowing in-person early voting for two weeks prior to Election Day, 72% support making Election Day a national holiday, and 69% support allowing felons to vote

Starting point is 00:05:56 after they've served their sentence. Voting is an important and powerful way to create change. But, as Christians, our hope is never contingent on the outcome of an election or the success of a political party. It's much more secure than that. Job 12 verse 10 says, every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all humanity. And now, candidates' stances. Former president Trump supports stronger election security measures.

Starting point is 00:06:41 He has called for only paper ballots and all counting to be done on election day. His campaign and the RNC are promising 100,000 Republican poll watchers and lawyers to challenge any evidence of fraud. This year, he has expressed support for Republicans using mail-in ballots, but maintains they were used to rig and steal the 2020 election from him. Vice President Harris supports removing obstacles to voting. In February 2024, she

Starting point is 00:07:07 called on Congress to pass the stalled Freedom to Vote Act, which would make election day a federal holiday, automatically register all eligible voters, and allow felons who have served their sentences to vote. She has previously expressed skepticism about voter ID laws. She believes President Biden was the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. That's all we have for today. Thanks for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, give us a five-star rating and drop a review. If you're listening on Spotify, give us a follow and hit the notification bell to never

Starting point is 00:07:52 miss a new episode. We appreciate your support and hope you have a great day. We'll be back tomorrow with the regular news. Hey, it's Kathleen, Head of Content at The Poor Over. I wanted to share our marketing plan for The Poor Over today with you. Okay, it is you. Yep. You listening right now, you're who we want to inspire to grow this podcast. So if you want to see more Christians have healthy relationships with the news in this super mild, nothing crazy happening at all election year, would you share the pour over today with your friends, family, small group, next door neighbors, people in the checkout line at the grocery store, whoever? It would mean a lot to us.

Starting point is 00:08:40 Thanks for being a listener.

The Pour Over Today - Bonus Episode: 2024 Election Topics - Election Integrity

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