At Liberty

The midterm elections made a lot of news, but one result particularly stands out: Florida's vote on Amendment 4. In a historic change, Floridians voted to amend their state constitution to restore voting rights to most people convicted of felonies once they've completed their full sentences. It sailed over the 60 percent threshold it needed to pass. The passage of Amendment 4 marks the largest single expansion of voting rights since the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 in 1971. In a state where one of 10 adults couldn’t vote, 1.4 million Floridians will now be able to reclaim their place in civic life. To mark the occasion, we’re replaying an earlier episode of At Liberty, which explores the history of felony disenfranchisement and features Desmond Meade, one of the leaders of this historic effort.

With the midterm elections only a few days away, voting rights advocates have been working furiously to ensure that the result will be the product of a free and fair election where everyone eligible to vote is able to do so. Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, discusses the state of the vote in 2018 and the biggest challenges and opportunities for voting rights this election season.

One year ago this month, the first bombshell allegations against Harvey Weinstein appeared in The New York Times and The New Yorker. Shortly thereafter, #MeToo went viral on social media. But the origins of this movement are at least a decade older. They lie with the work of Tarana Burke, a civil rights advocate devoted to fighting sexual harassment and violence. We talk to Tarana and actor and activist Alyssa Milano, whose tweet helped bring #MeToo mainstream.

The 2018 midterm elections will determine the fate of governorships nationwide, the party that controls Congress, and the outcome of hugely consequential ballot questions in many states. The stakes are high, including for key civil rights and civil liberties. This week, At Liberty features Faiz Shakir, the ACLU’s national political director, who discusses what we can expect from next month's ballot, and how the ACLU is getting involved.

Harvard University is facing a lawsuit alleging that its undergraduate admissions practices unlawfully discriminate against Asian American applicants. This suit is the latest salvo in the legal battle over whether and how schools can consider race as a factor in their admissions process. Jin Hee Lee, senior deputy director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, joins At Liberty to discuss the case. She represents 25 Harvard students and alumni groups who have filed briefs in defense of Harvard's current use of a holistic and race-conscious admissions process.