Voting rights legend David Walbert joins Gaslit Nation to discuss the long history of bloodless coups in America. His new book, Stealing Elections, American Style, opens in 1876, when Louisiana threw out enough votes to steal the White House for Rutherford B. Hayes, the white supremacist who, as president, stopped Reconstruction. How do we stop today's MAGA coup, which – given January 6 – is hardly bloodless? How can we "vote harder" and "vote blue, no matter who" when our vote is suppressed? Walbert, who won Rogers v. Lodge at the Supreme Court in 1982 – protecting the votes of marginalized communities – and has fought Georgia's rigged maps for five decades, shares tactics and insights for us today to overcome the new Jim Crow. If you don't exercise your rights, you lose them. So vote early, make sure five people in your life have a plan to vote, and talk to your neighbors, especially those who skip the Midterms. Then haunt Elon Musk's nightmares with us at our Halloween phone bank with Indivisible October 28 for Angie Nixon, Florida's next US Senator. Fight for Angie like Angie will fight for us! RSVP here and in the show notes. Paul Weiss folded for $40 million. Gaslit Nation can't be bought, because it belongs to our listeners. To hear the full episode, support Gaslit Nation on Patreon and Substack. Discounted annual memberships are available, and on Patreon you can give the gift of membership. Burn down the patriarchy, build something new. Pre-order Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women, out November 24 (new date!), and forward your receipt to GaslitNation@gmail.com for a thank-you gift and a signed book plate. Show Notes Want a plan to bash the patriarchy? Live your most creative life and help build a better world with Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Join the Gaslit Nation x Indivisible phonebank! https://indivisible.org/events/indivisible-and-gaslit-nation-halloween-phone-bank-party/ Stealing Elections, American Style, by David F. Walbert: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/stealing-elections-american-style-9798216391999/ David F. Walbert: https://davidfwalbert.com/ Gaslit Nation x Indivisible Halloween Phone Bank for Angie Nixon, October 28: https://indivisible.org/events/indivisible-and-gaslit-nation-halloween-phone-bank-party/ The Vote That Made the President, by David Dudley Field (1877) on the Louisiana returning board: https://gutenberg.org/files/30231/old/30231-h/30231-h.htm 2026 United States Senate Elections: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_elections FBI Raids Fulton County Office for Records Tied to 2020 Election: https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/01/28/fbi-executes-search-warrant-fulton-county-main-election-office/ Supreme Court of Georgia Strikes Down Four State Election Rules: https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/06/10/supreme-court-georgia-strikes-down-four-state-election-rules/ The Supreme Court's Death Blow Against Voting Rights Is the Culmination of John Roberts's 50-Year Crusade: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/jon-roberts-callais-v-louisiana-supreme-court-voting-rights/ The Supreme Court's Callais Decision Sets New Framework for Racial Gerrymandering: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-supreme-courts-callais-decision-sets-new-framework-for-racial-gerrymandering Were Three of the Sitting Supreme Court Justices Involved in the Bush v. Gore Legal Disputes? : https://gigafact.org/fact-briefs/were-three-of-the-sitting-supreme-court-justices-involved-in-the-bush-v-gore-legal-disputes Naked City: Bush's Own Texas Recount Law: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/naked-city-11707297/ When the Votes Were Recounted in Florida, Who Won?: https://www.factcheck.org/?p=19621 Reagan Judge Slams Trump While Calling for Defense of Rights https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/reagan-judge-blasts-trump-while-calling-for-defense-of-rights Law Firm Targeted by Trump Could Have Been 'Destroyed,' Chairman Says: https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2025/03/23/law-firm-targeted-by-trump-could-have-been-destroyed-chairman-says-in-explaining-deal-with-trump/ We Don't Know Who Will Win the House. That's Because the Maps Are Rigged: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/we-dont-know-who-will-win-house-thats-because-maps-are-rigged Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins: https://rmwfilm.org/films/raise-hell-the-life-and-times-of-molly-ivins/
