LeverAGE, the newest podcast from the American Society on Aging (ASA), is about the politics of aging. This show will focus on politics, policy, and advocacy in aging. This inaugural episode is about voting and voter suppression and features Peter Kaldes, President and CEO of ASA, Leanne Clark-Shirley, ASA's Vice President of Programs and Thought Leadership, and an interview with Hilary O. Shelton, Director to the NAACP's Washington Bureau / Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy.
Older adults are critical to our democracy—they vote more than anyone else, volunteer for campaigns and staff our polling stations. But some in power seem to want to suppress their impact. Peter interviewed Hilary O. Shelton on August 6, which was the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. This is the law that enforces the 14th and 15th Amendments and protects citizens’ rights to vote. It prohibits any law that discriminates against racial minorities and ended literacy tests as a qualifier for casting a vote. But how are such protections holding up out in 2020? And how can we all work to fight voter suppression?