This is what voter suppression looks like.

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
Illustration by Molly Mendoza

This week’s episode: Remembering a White supremacist coup ([link removed])

Reveal looks back to a nearly forgotten 1898 election in North Carolina. A coup d’etat gave birth to much of the structural racism that exists today.
------------------------------------------------------------
Voters wait in line in Smyrna, Ga. Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images


** This is what voter suppression looks like
------------------------------------------------------------

I’ve seen almost exactly the same photo over and over again this week: A long line snakes around city blocks as people wait (and wait and wait) to vote. Often, they are posting photos as inspiration: “This is what democracy looks like!” But waiting hours in line to cast a ballot isn’t a sign of a healthy democracy. In fact, in some cases, it’s a sign of voter suppression ([link removed]) .

As Americans head to the polls, Reveal ([link removed]) looks back at a massacre in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898. To kick Black politicians out of office, heavily armed White supremacist mobs staged a coup and murdered roughly 60 Black men. They also broke into voting precincts, started fires and stuffed ballot boxes. This bloody chapter in American history isn’t one that’s often taught in schools, but it’s the backdrop for the quieter, more bureaucratic forms of voter suppression that persist today.Over the past few years, many states and municipalities have gotten more aggressive in enacting stricter voter ID laws ([link removed]) , shutting down polling places ([link removed]) in predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods, or sometimes, as in North Carolina, discarding absentee ballots from Black voters at
triple the rate ([link removed]) as those from White voters.

But state and local governments aren’t acting alone. Reporter Will Carless dug into a conservative group ([link removed]) , the Public Interest Legal Foundation, or PILF, that claimed there was widespread voter fraud in Florida. The organization sent Palm Beach County election officials a list of voters it claimed had cast ballots in recent elections despite having died years before. The only hitch was … those voters were still alive. Reveal found no evidence that votes have been cast for dead people in the county and disproved at least 56 instances of alleged voter fraud compiled by the group. As Will reports, PILF is part of a network of well-funded conservative nonprofits working behind the scenes to push the specter of voter fraud and pressure local election officials into purging or “cleaning up” voter rolls. Those purges would remove actual voters from registration rolls.

But despite the long lines and other voter suppression efforts, people are turning out in record numbers to vote in this year’s election. It’s heartening to see voters connect as they turn in their ballots, keeping spirits high with everything from drumlines ([link removed]) to free pizza ([link removed]) . As the late Rep. John Lewis ([link removed]) said: “Your vote matters. If it didn’t, why would some people keep trying to take it away?”

– Sarah Mirk, digital engagement producer

------------------------------------------------------------
Your support helps us uncover stories that matter, explain what’s wrong and hold those responsible accountable.
Become a member! ([link removed])
Illustration by Anthony Zinonos.


** In the Field
------------------------------------------------------------

Ask us anything about Amazon

Reveal’s recent investigation ([link removed]) into Amazon’s workplace safety showed that the company deceived the public about the rising rate of injuries among its warehouse workers.

As we approach the holiday shopping season, workers could face even more danger. Reveal found that for years, injury rates have spiked during the weeks of Prime Day and Cyber Monday, contrary to Amazon’s public claims. Those two weeks had the highest rate of serious injuries for all of 2019.
Do you have questions about workplace safety at Amazon? Reporter Will Evans will answer questions on Instagram Live today, Oct. 27, from 3 to 3:30 p.m. PST/6-6:30 p.m. EST. Click over to @revealnews ([link removed]) on Instagram to ask a question or watch the recorded conversation later if you missed it.
------------------------------------------------------------


** Reveal Recommends
------------------------------------------------------------

Will Carless is an investigative journalist focused on hate extremism. At Reveal, he’s reported stories such as the Protect and Slur series ([link removed]) , which exposed the prevalence of police officers in extremist Facebook groups.

Listening: I love the “Reply All” podcast, who recently dug into the wild world of QAnon ([link removed]) for a seminal episode. Music-wise, Bartees Strange's debut album ([link removed]) is incredible.

Reading: I just ordered “Culture Warlords ([link removed]) ” by Talia Lavin, who I have followed for years on Twitter; I can't wait to dig in!

Watching: As a Brit, I've always been a huge fan of British comedy, especially mockumentaries in the style of “The Office” (the original). My latest favorite is a British show called “This Country ([link removed]) ,” about two dysfunctional teenagers in the West Country.

This is Will’s last week at Reveal! He is moving to report on extremism for USA Today. Goodbye and good luck, Will! You can keep up with Will on Twitter: @willcarless. ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Do you have feedback for Reveal? Send it over! This newsletter was written by Sarah Mirk (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Weekly%20Reveal%20feedback) , who will share your thoughts with the team.
------------------------------------------------------------

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2020 The Center for Investigative Reporting, All rights reserved.
You're on this list because you signed up for The Weekly Reveal newsletter.

Our mailing address is:
The Center for Investigative Reporting
1400 65th St., Suite 200
Emeryville, CA 94608
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.