S7 E13: Voting by Mail, George Floyd & UFC: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Protests and Police Brutality

• Protests have erupted across the country in response to the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police, highlighting a legacy of police misconduct and white supremacy that prioritizes the comfort of white Americans over the safety of people of color 37s.
• The killing of George Floyd is part of a larger pattern of police brutality and violence against black people, who have been killed by police on the street, in their own homes, and by wannabe police, and have been threatened with state violence while engaging in everyday activities 2m1s.
• The concept of "order" is often used to justify police actions, but this order is designed to benefit and protect certain groups, while being hostile to black people 1m50s.
• President Donald Trump initially tweeted condolences after George Floyd's killing, but later tweeted that "thugs" were dishonoring his memory and threatened to assume control, using language that is code for racist sentiments 2m41s.
• Trump's tweet about looting and shooting is a quote from a notoriously racist 1960s Miami Police Chief, demonstrating his familiarity with racist maxims of the 20th century 3m5s.

Trump, Twitter, and Mail-in Ballots

• Amidst the protests and COVID-19 pandemic, Trump spent the first half of his week focusing on Twitter and its alleged political bias, after the platform added a fact-check footnote to two of his tweets about mail-in ballots 3m42s.
• Twitter's fact-checking of Trump's tweets highlighted the issue of mail-in ballots and the potential for fraud, which Trump has claimed is "substantially fraudulent" 3m57s.
• A tweet claiming Luke Hemsworth is the best Hemsworth has not been flagged as a damaging lie on Twitter, despite being a false statement, highlighting the platform's inconsistent moderation 4m6s.
• President Trump has repeatedly claimed that voting by mail in the upcoming election will be substantially fraudulent, tweeting about it numerous times in the last two months and stating that mail ballots are "cheaters" and "corrupt" 4m27s.
• Trump's claims about voter fraud and rigged elections are not only false but also actively harmful to the democratic process, and his repeated assertions bring back memories of his 2016 campaign 5m1s.

The Challenges and Importance of Voting during a Pandemic

• Despite Trump's claims, 70% of Americans are in favor of allowing any voter to vote by mail if they want to, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made mail-in voting a more popular idea 5m24s.
• Holding in-person elections during a pandemic poses significant challenges, including the risk of transmission among voters and poll workers, who are often older and more vulnerable to the virus 5m41s.
• Many poll workers are concerned about their safety, with one worker expressing fear for her safety and deciding not to work her state's primary, and health experts warning that the age group of most poll workers is among the most vulnerable to the virus 6m11s.
• Some state officials, such as Missouri's Governor Mike Parson, are not addressing the concerns of voters and poll workers adequately, with Parson offering unclear advice ahead of the local election 7m27s.
• The safety of voters is a top priority, and if people do not feel safe to go out and vote, they should not have to, but voting is a right that must be easy to understand and accessible to everyone 7m52s.
• One way to mitigate the dangers of in-person voting during a pandemic is to expand the option to vote by mail, which is often lied about by Trump 8m17s.

Wisconsin's Chaotic Primary Election

• Wisconsin's primary election was chaotic due to the pandemic, with a massive reduction in polling sites and a record number of mail-in ballots requested, many of which never arrived or arrived late 9m31s.
• The Republican-controlled State Legislature and supreme court thwarted the Democratic governor's attempt to delay the election, and the Republican assembly speaker Robin Voss delivered a mixed message about safety while volunteering at a polling place 8m55s.
• Many voters did not buy Voss's assurances due to safety concerns, leading to massive lines and chaos at polling sites, with some voters wearing garbage bags to cast their ballots 9m48s.
• The COVID-19 pandemic does not stop for elections, and it disproportionately affects minorities, making it essential to find alternative voting methods, such as mail-in voting, to ensure voter safety 11m0s.
• The general election in November will have a much higher turnout than the primary, making it crucial to address the issues that arose during the primary election 11m5s.

The Debate over Mail-in Voting

• The idea of making voting by mail easier is being considered to prevent issues like those that occurred in Wisconsin, but some argue it's a radical proposition that could lead to widespread fraud and manipulation 11m7s.
• However, voting by mail is not a new concept, as it has been used since the Civil War, and one in four Americans cast a mail ballot in the last two federal elections 12m2s.
• The question is not whether to have voting by mail, but rather how hard to make it, and the answer varies widely depending on the state 12m23s.
• Some states have Universal all-mail voting, while others require a reason for an absentee ballot, and some have restrictions in place, such as requiring a photocopy of a photo ID and a notary or two witnesses 12m37s.
• The argument for limiting voting by mail is to prevent cheating, but the process of cheating would require multiple steps, including knowing a dead person's personal information and signature 13m27s.
• The process of cheating would be difficult, as it would require filling out a form, redoing the voter registration, and knowing personal information like the last four digits of the social security number and driver's license number 14m11s.
• The restrictions on voting by mail vary by state, and some states have not decided whether the fear of COVID-19 will be a valid excuse for the general election in November 13m9s.
• Voter fraud through mail-in voting is difficult, high-risk, and low-reward, as it requires forging a signature that can be compared to the one on file, and if caught, it can result in several felonies and prison time, all to gain just one vote 14m34s.
• Despite periodic list maintenance, including cross-checking Social Security death records, voter rolls can still be vulnerable to fraud, but the risk is still relatively low 14m47s.
• A 2005 bipartisan report stated that absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud, but in practice, it is still incredibly rare, with only 54 cases of suspected voter fraud out of over two million votes cast by mail in Oregon in 2016 15m28s.
• The vast majority of people are not willing to risk prison time to commit voter fraud, and the only vote that might be worth risking prison time for in Oregon is a vote to get Portland Trailblazer Damien Lillard into the MVP conversation 15m53s.

Challenges and Concerns with Mail-in Voting

• Mailed ballots are rejected at a higher rate than those cast in person, and it doesn't work for all communities, such as people with disabilities who need to go to an in-person voting place for help casting a ballot 16m22s.
• Some places, like Native American reservations and remote Alaskan villages, may have unreliable postal service, making mail-in voting difficult 16m34s.
• Advocates argue that vote-by-mail is still a good idea, as it would reduce obstacles to civic participation, but conservative opponents speculate that increased participation would benefit Democrats, despite research showing that it hasn't obviously helped one party or the other 17m17s.
• Some conservative opponents, like Texas's AG, have gone to extremes to fight mail-in voting, threatening to prosecute anyone who encourages people to get an absentee ballot due to fear of the coronavirus 17m43s.
• The lieutenant governor of Texas has also engaged in fear-mongering, claiming that Democrats will take advantage of mail-in voting to steal votes, and that there is no reason for anyone under 65 to be able to say they are afraid to go vote 17m52s.
• Some people believe that voting by mail is a scam by the Democrats to steal the election, but this is not true, and people will likely vote by mail in large numbers due to the pandemic 18m13s.
• Even in states that try to fight mail-in voting, the odds are that many people will still vote by mail, which will require states to handle a high volume of mail ballots 18m40s.

Funding and Logistics for the 2020 Election

• States need money to properly run the 2020 elections during the pandemic, with estimated costs reaching $4 billion, but the CARES Act only directed $400 million to states 18m49s.
• Funding needs to come quickly, as jurisdictions will struggle to handle a high volume of mail ballots, and hiring and training additional workers or purchasing machinery will be necessary 19m5s.
• Pennsylvania, a swing state, had only 17,000 absentee ballots in their 2016 primary but received over 1.8 million applications this year, making it difficult to cope with the surge 19m11s.
• Machines like high-speed scanners and sorters can take several months to order and safely install, making it concerning that some officials, like Missouri Governor Mike Parson, are not taking immediate action 19m32s.
• Officials should communicate to voters how to get a mail-in ballot, when to do it by, and how to properly fill it out, and voters should prepare themselves for the possibility that it may take longer to count all the ballots 20m32s.
• If there is a surge in mail-in voting, it may take several days after election day to know who has won, and officials should prepare for potential discord among supporters 20m43s.
• Voters can request and return their absentee ballots early to help flatten the curve of vote tabulating on Election Day, and they can also use a stamp to mail in their ballots 21m16s.

Promoting and Encouraging Mail-in Voting

• Four custom "I Voted by Mail" stickers have been designed, which can be printed out at home, featuring various humorous designs including a hamster in a speedo, a ghost with an X through it, and an emu wearing a top hat with a nose ring, available at ivotedbymail.com 21m40s.
• Voting by mail not only exercises civic duty but also reportedly angers Tucker Carlson, which is presented as an incentive to do so 22m10s.

TV Hosts and Background Distractions

• TV hosts are shown to be distracted by objects in the background of their video calls, including a collage ball, a cat, a child's setup, a plumbing industry quotation, a steering wheel clock, and a platform with hot wheels 22m26s.
• The idea of seeing where people live and what's behind them on video calls is discussed, with some finding it interesting and others not 23m33s.

UFC's "Fight Island"

• The UFC is mentioned as a place to watch grown adults fight each other in an enclosed space, and their plan to stage fights on a private island, called "Fight Island," is discussed 24m1s.
• The name "Fight Island" is criticized for being unoriginal and obvious, with the suggestion that a more straightforward name like "UFC Island" would have been better 24m27s.
• The UFC filed trademark applications for the term "Fight Island" just two days after a show aired, and Dana White confirmed it wasn't a coincidence, with the UFC eventually obtaining the trademark thanks to John Oliver 24m59s.
• Dana White intentionally forgot John Oliver's name, which Oliver found amusing, and also pointed out that White was ranked 83 on GQ's list of the 100 most powerful men in the world in 2013 25m40s.
• John Oliver isn't mad about the UFC using the "Fight Island" name and suggests the UFC should let him rename their events, providing some humorous suggestions such as "UFC Knuckle Opera" or "Dust Up at the Beef Factory" 25m57s.
• Oliver also jokingly suggests that Dana White's name could use a punch-up, as it doesn't sound like the head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and provides some alternative name suggestions for White 26m19s.

Dana White and John Oliver's Back-and-Forth

• The UFC's Dana White accused John Oliver of using selective facts in a piece about the UFC, specifically regarding three people testing positive for COVID-19 before a recent event 27m12s.
• Dana White responded to the criticism by saying the UFC had three events with 1100 tests, but it was later revealed that those tests were administered to just 300 people, which seems to be a selective fact 27m43s.

Dana White's Trademarks and the "You Will Submit" Saga

• Dana White has trademarked several phrases, including "Dana White looking for a fight", "Fight Library", "Chicken Monster", and "Baddest", with the latter citing potential uses such as toy figures and action figures 28m10s.
• Dana White's trademark is being questioned, specifically whether it's legal to put the phrase onto other objects not covered by his trademark, such as a mug 28m40s.
• The UFC has applied for and obtained several trademarks, some of which have expired, including "You Will Submit" for use on baby booties, fanny packs, and walking canes 29m0s.
• In response to Dana White taking something that was created, the favor is being returned by attempting to own the trademark "You Will Submit" 29m21s.
• A website, tugslabmeatsbabypalace.com, is selling a baby onesie with the phrase "You Will Submit" 29m36s.
• The move is seen as a humorous and lighthearted way to poke fun at Dana White and the UFC 29m40s.