According to the following transcript:


PERSON HAS A VOICE AND EVERY

VOICE IS HEARD.

IT'S ONE NATION, UNDER GOD,

INDIVISI...

WELL, YOU GET THE PICTURE.

Keb' Mo': ♪ FROM SEA

TO SHINING, SHINING SEA. ♪

BUT AMERICA IS AT WAR.

[MORTAR WHOOSHES, GUNS FIRING]

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT A

SHOOTING WAR LIKE AFGHANISTAN.

[MACHINE GUN FIRING...]

I'M NOT EVEN TALKING

ABOUT THE WAR ON TERROR.



NOPE.

AMERICA IS ENGAGED IN A TOTALLY

DIFFERENT KIND OF WAR-- BEING

FOUGHT RIGHT HERE WITHIN OUR

BORDERS-- OVER ONE

OF DEMOCRACY'S MOST SACRED

ACTS: VOTING.

ON ONE SIDE, FORCES DEVOTED

TO STOPPING WHAT THEY SAY IS

POTENTIALLY MASSIVE

VOTER FRAUD.

TV Reporter: ACORN'S VOTER

REGISTRATION DRIVES ARE UNDER

INVESTIGATION IN SEVERAL STATES.

WE NEED TO KNOW THE FULL

EXTENT OF SENATOR OBAMA'S

RELATIONSHIP WITH ACORN,

WHO IS NOW ON THE VERGE OF MAYBE

PERPETRATING ONE OF THE GREATEST

FRAUDS IN VOTER HISTORY IN THIS

COUNTRY, MAYBE DESTROYING

THE FABRIC OF DEMOCRACY.

ON THE OTHER SIDE, A MOVEMENT

THAT BELIEVES INDIVIDUALS

ARE BEING SYSTEMATICALLY AND

DELIBERATELY DISENFRANCHISED.

Group: THE VOTE! THE VOTE!

PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE!

Bill Clinton: THERE HAS NEVER

BEEN IN MY LIFETIME, SINCE WE

GOT RID OF THE JIM CROW BURDENS

ON VOTING, THE DETERMINED EFFORT

TO LIMIT THE FRANCHISE THAT

WE SEE TODAY.

Rocca: THOSE CAUGHT

IN THE CROSSFIRE?

MILLIONS OF AMERICAN VOTERS

JUST LIKE YOU AND ME.

AND NO, YOUR FLAT FEET ARE NOT

GONNA KEEP YOU OUT OF THIS ONE.

[♪...]

I'M <PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON>.

MY JOURNEY BEGAN FOUR YEARS

AGO, WHEN I HEADED TO THE FRONT

LINES OF THIS EPIC

AND ONGOING BATTLE.

I WANTED TO SEE FOR MYSELF HOW

VOTING WORKS IN AMERICA.

...ROCCA THE VOTE!

ROCCA THE VOTE!

...WHAT I FOUND WAS

SOMETIMES SHOCKING...

IT'S JUST A SIMPLE LITTLE

THING-- THEY DON'T WANT TO PUT

THEM BALLOTS THROUGH THAT

MACHINE ON ELECTION DAY.

SOMETIMES ENCOURAGING...

WE WANT THE BALLOTS TO TIP

TO OUR SIDE, OBVIOUSLY,

AS REPUBLICANS... BUT YOU HAVE

TO HAVE DEMOCRATS, TOO.

THEY'RE GONNA BE THERE.

SO I ROOT FOR THE GOOD ONES.

AND ALWAYS SURPRISING.

Man: REDNECKS FOR OBAMA!

Man 2: HELL YEAH, ABSOLUTELY!

THIS IS MY WAR DIARY.

[BRASS BAND PLAYS

"AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL"...]

[PAPER SHREDDING...]

[MUSIC ENDS]

O.K., SO WHO GETS TO VOTE

IN AMERICA?

WELL, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO VOTE

IF YOU'RE BORN HERE.

SIMPLE ENOUGH.

TELL ME WHAT THE TROUBLE IS.

I'M GOING TO HAVE A BABY.

Man: I HEREBY DECLARE

ON OATH...

All: I HEREBY DECLARE

ON OATH...

YOU ALSO GET TO VOTE

IF YOU BECOME A CITIZEN.

SO FAR, SO GOOD.

BUT HISTORY IS CHOCK-FULL

OF STORIES ABOUT EXCLUDED

GROUPS FIGHTING AND DYING TO

GET THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES

DUE AMERICAN CITIZENS.

WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION...

...IS VOTING A RIGHT

OR A PRIVILEGE?

A RIGHT.

IS VOTING A RIGHT

OR A PRIVILEGE?

I THINK IT'S, UH... BOTH.

YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE.

I HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN

A RIGHT AND A PRIVILEGE?

YEAH, THAT'S THE WAY THE GAME

IS PLAYED.

OH, I THINK IT'S A RIGHT.

WHAT DOES YOUR FRIEND THINK?

TYLER, DO YOU THINK VOTING

IS A RIGHT OR A PRIVILEGE?

HE THINKS IT'S A RIGHT, TOO.

VOTING IS A PRIVILEGE...

UM... WHICH IS WHAT I TELL

MY STUDENTS.

I THINK IF YOU'RE A CITIZEN,

THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT

TO VOTE.

ALL RIGHT, THERE SEEMS TO BE

SOME CONFUSION HERE.

SO WHO BETTER TO SORT THIS OUT

FOR ME THAN SOME OF OUR

COUNTRY'S NEWLY MINTED

CITIZENS?

I MEAN, THEY JUST TOOK A TEST

ON THIS STUFF.

LUCKILY WE HAPPENED UPON A

GIANT COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION

AND WENT TO WORK.

...YOU'RE UP IN ARTICLE 1,

IS THERE ANYTHING THERE?

Woman: NOTHING.

THIS IS THE WRONG COPY, I THINK.

NO, THIS IS THE CONSTITUTION.

THIS IS THE CONSTITUTION...

I THINK IT IS THAT.

YEAH... NO, SAM, I THINK

YOU'RE OVER IN CONGRESS

RIGHT HERE.

ANY VOTING THERE?

I DON'T FIND ANYTHING.

Woman: THERE'S A LOT OF

STUFF IN THERE BUT NOTHING

ABOUT VOTING.

I HAVEN'T SEEN IT...

I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING.

YEAH, I COULDN'T FIND

ANYTHING.

...BUT EVEN USING A HIGH-TECH

MAGNIFYING DEVICE,

WE WERE COMING UP EMPTY.

I DECIDED I NEEDED HELP

FROM AN EXPERT.

...I'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER

THE CONSTITUTION FOR THE RIGHT

TO VOTE AND I CAN'T FIND IT.

I'M NOT SURPRISED.

THERE IS NO RIGHT TO VOTE

IN THE CONSTITUTION.

YOU'RE NOT KIDDING ME?

NO, I'M NOT KIDDING YOU.

UM... THE CONSTITUTION AT THE

NATION'S BIRTH MADE NO MENTION

OF VOTING RIGHTS WHATSOEVER.

DID THEY JUST FORGET TO?

NO, THEY DIDN'T FORGET TO.

THEY WERE UNSURE, IN FACT,

WHETHER VOTING WAS A RIGHT

OR A PRIVILEGE.

AND IF IT WAS A RIGHT,

THEY WEREN'T SURE WHO THE RIGHT

ACTUALLY BELONGED TO.

THIS CONSTITUTIONAL SILENCE

ON THE RIGHT TO VOTE PUTS THE

U.S. IN THE COMPANY OF NATIONS

LIKE LIBYA, IRAN AND INDONESIA.

IN TERMS OF THE CONSTITUTION,

WHAT WE HAVE IS A KIND OF RAGTAG

SERIES OF AD-HOC CONSTITUTIONAL

AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED

THROUGH POPULAR STRUGGLE TO SAY

YOU CAN'T DISCRIMINATE

ON THE BASIS OF RACE--

THE 15th AMENDMENT--

YOU CAN'T DISCRIMINATE

ON THE BASIS OF SEX--

THE 19th AMENDMENT--

PEOPLE IN THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT

HAVE THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE

IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS--

THE 23rd.

BUT OTHER THAN THESE KIND OF

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION AMENDMENTS,

WE DON'T HAVE THE AFFIRMATIVE

UNIVERSAL RIGHT TO VOTE LIKE

YOU FIND IN THE SOUTH AFRICA

CONSTITUTION, WHICH JUST SIMPLY

SAYS, "EVERYBODY'S GOT A RIGHT

TO VOTE," THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS

TO HAVE A DEMOCRACY, THAT'S WHAT

"WE THE PEOPLE" REALLY MEANS.

JAMIE TOLD ME THAT THE

DRAFTERS OF THE CONSTITUTION

SIDESTEPPED THE CONFLICT BY

LEAVING THE DECISION ABOUT WHO

COULD OR COULD NOT VOTE

UP TO THE STATES.

IT ALL STARTED WHEN 13 COLONIES

DECIDED TO HOOK UP AND MAKE

A GO OF IT.

BUT AS IN ANY RELATIONSHIP,

THEY DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE UP

ALL THEIR INDEPENDENCE.

EACH COLONY WANTED THE POWER

TO MAKE ITS OWN RULES, BECAUSE,

YOU KNOW, THIS NEW COUNTRY

COULD BE SO SMOTHERING

AT TIMES.

EVENTUALLY, THE NEW NATION

DECIDED IT NEEDED TO START

SEEING OTHER STATES--

37 TO BE EXACT.

HEY, DON'T JUDGE--

IT WAS A DIFFERENT TIME.

AND EACH STATE BROUGHT ITS OWN

BAGGAGE, OF COURSE.

CITIES, TOWNS AND COUNTIES,

ALL OF WHICH WANTED THEIR OWN

SAY IN HOW TO CONDUCT

ELECTIONS.

AFTER MORE THAN 200 YEARS,

THIS LOOSEY-GOOSEY UNION HAS

GROWN VERY COMPLICATED.

13,000 SEPARATE ELECTORAL

DISTRICTS: EACH WITH ITS OWN

RULES ABOUT VOTING, BALLOT

DESIGN, POLL-WORKER TRAINING

AND RECOUNTS.

AND MOST OF THE BLAME GOES

TO THAT CONSTITUTION, WHICH

GAVE STATES CONTROL OVER

VOTING AND SET UP... [RUMBLING]

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.

[♪...]

...DO YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

NO, I'M FROM TENNESSEE.

GO UP TWO BLOCKS

AND TURN LEFT.

IT'LL BE THE FIRST DOOR

ON YOUR RIGHT.

I NEVER HEARD OF IT.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY CAN ANSWER

THAT, CAN THEY?

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

YOU'RE VERY WELCOME,

HAVE A GOOD ONE.

Keyssar: THE ELECTORAL

COLLEGE WAS CREATED AFTER

A SUMMER THAT THE FOUNDING

FATHERS SPENT SCRATCHING THEIR

HEADS AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

HOW TO CHOOSE A PRESIDENT.

ONE THOUGHT WAS TO HAVE CONGRESS

CHOOSE THE PRESIDENT.

THEN THEY THOUGHT, "NO, THAT

WOULD MAKE THE PRESIDENT

TOO DEPENDENT ON CONGRESS."

THERE WERE A FEW PEOPLE WHO

SAID, "LET'S HAVE A NATIONAL

ELECTION."

BUT THAT WAS OPPOSED PARTLY

BECAUSE IT WAS FELT THAT PEOPLE

DIDN'T KNOW, WOULDN'T KNOW

THE CANDIDATES.

YOU KNOW, IT'S A RURAL COUNTRY,

SPREAD OUT.

THE OTHER REASON AGAINST

A POPULAR ELECTION WAS THAT IT

WOULD'VE GIVEN LESS POWER

TO THE SOUTH, TO THE

SLAVE-HOLDING SOUTH.

THAT LED TO THE NOTORIOUS

THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE,

WHICH COUNTED EACH SLAVE

AS THREE-FIFTHS OF A PERSON.

THIS GAVE THE SOUTHERN STATES

EXTRA REPRESENTATIVES IN

CONGRESS AND EXTRA VOTES

IN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE,

THEORETICALLY CREATING

A BALANCE BETWEEN NORTH

AND SOUTH.

OF COURSE, NEITHER SIDE

ACTUALLY ALLOWED ENSLAVED

PEOPLE TO VOTE.

SO THOSE TWO OPTIONS, AN

ACTUAL POPULAR VOTE OR CONGRESS

CHOOSING THE PRESIDENT, SEEMED

TO HAVE A LOT OF DISADVANTAGES,

AND THEY CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA,

WHICH WAS NOT SO UNCOMMON

AT THE TIME, OF HAVING AN

INDIRECT ELECTION WHERE YOU

CHOOSE ELECTORS AND THEN

THE ELECTORS... UH...

CHOOSE THE PRESIDENT.

SOUNDS GOOD IN THEORY,

BUT IN PRACTICE, WELL, EVEN

A THIRD-GRADER CAN SEE

THERE ARE PROBLEMS.

...WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LITTLE

ELECTION HERE AND I'M GOING

TO ASK YOU TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TWO

CANDIDATES: COLORED PENCILS

AND MARKERS.

WHO IS VOTING

FOR COLORED PENCILS?

OKAY, 10 VOTES

FOR COLORED PENCILS.

WHO IS VOTING FOR MARKERS?

14 FOR MARKERS.

MARKERS HAVE WON

THE POPULAR VOTE.

[CHILDREN WHOOP AND APPLAUD]

AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE

THE REAL ELECTION.

[CHILDREN GROAN]

NATURALLY, THEY WERE

DISAPPOINTED.

THEY THOUGHT WE'D JUST HAD

THE ELECTION.

BUT NOW IT WAS TIME TO WARP

THESE YOUNG MINDS

BY INTRODUCING THEM

TO THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.

SO WE BROKE THE CLASS

INTO FIVE TABLES, OR STATES.

THE MAJORITY AT EACH TABLE--

EITHER MARKERS OR COLORED

PENCILS-- WOULD GET THE TABLE'S

ONE ELECTORAL VOTE.

OF COURSE IN REAL LIFE, STATES

HAVE VARYING AMOUNTS

OF ELECTORAL VOTES DEPENDING

ON THE POPULATION.

...TABLE ONE'S ELECTOR,

HOW DO YOU CAST YOUR VOTE?

MARKERS.

TABLE TWO'S ELECTOR,

HOW DO YOU CAST YOUR VOTE?

MARKERS.

TABLE THREE'S ELECTOR?

COLORED PENCILS.

IN THE END, THE WHOLE

ELECTION CAME DOWN

TO ONE STATE.

...TABLE FIVE'S ELECTOR, ANGEL,

COME ON DOWN.

THIS IS IT, GUYS.

THIS WILL DECIDE

THE WHOLE THING.

ELECTOR, HOW DO YOU CAST

YOUR VOTE?

COLORED PENCILS.

[SOME CHILDREN CHEER]

Boy: THAT WAS SO CHEATING!

WHAT'S THAT?

THAT WAS SO CHEATING!

EVERYBODY SHOULD THINK IT'S

UNFAIR BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST

ABOUT THE ELECTORS' VOTES.

IT'S ABOUT EVERYBODY'S VOTES.

AUBREY, YOU ARE A

RABBLE-ROUSER, I MEAN CLEARLY

YOU'RE TRYING TO WHIP THEM UP

INTO A FRENZY.

IT HAS TO BE FAIR FOR

Answer these questions:
1.Who gets to vote, according to the movie?
2. Is it clearly stated who gets the right to vote in the Constitution?
3. Who is ultimately in control of voting?
4. Which state has some of the strictest voting rights in the nation?
5. What is the photo ID law?