Political writer Ari Berman warned Western Kentucky University students on Thursday about voting restrictions he contends are threatening democracy. 

“In many ways, the story of American history is those who have power and those who have privilege trying to prevent those who don’t have those things from accessing them,” said Berman, who spoke to more than 100 people in WKU’s Mass Media and Technology Hall auditorium. 

Amanda Crawford, a professor in WKU’s School of Journalism and Broadcasting, helped organize the lecture titled “Give Us the Ballot: Power, Privilege and Democracy.”

“I think it’s important to think about democracy,” she said. “We need to be aware of what rights we do have to participate.”

Berman is a senior contributing writer at Nation magazine. He’s written about American politics, civil rights and the melding of money and politics. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Rolling Stone magazine, The Atlantic, Politico and The Guardian. He’s also guested on MSNBC, NPR, PBS and C-SPAN. 

His latest book, “Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America,” was published in August. It explores what happened after the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. 

“What I wanted to tell in my book was two intertwining stories,” Berman said. “The first was the story of revolution, because I believe the Voting Rights Act led to an American revolution … but I also believe that the Voting Rights Act led to a counter-revolution.” 

Berman discussed that movement, which he described as a 50-year effort to roll back voting reforms. It recently gained ground, Berman said, following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. 

“In June of 2013, the Supreme Court overturned a key part of the Voting Rights Act,” he said, by “ruling that those states with the longest histories of voting discrimination no longer had to approve their voting changes with the federal government.”

Berman linked that decision to a recent debacle in Arizona, where primary voters experienced five-hour wait times and long lines to cast their ballots. 

Lines were so long, he said, because election officials in Phoenix’s Maricopa County reduced the number of polling places by 70 percent. The county went from 200 polling places in 2012 to 60 in 2016. 

“Arizona was one of those states that previously had to approve its voting changes with the federal government because of a long history of voting discrimination, particularly against Hispanic and Native American voters.” 

Along with the many barriers students and minority voters face in obtaining valid voting IDs, Berman discussed possible solutions. He pointed to online registration, early voting, same-day registration, automatic registration and restoring felon voting rights as ways to make America’s democracy more representative. 

Following the talk, Berman took several questions from students and faculty. 

“It’s kind of the type of topic I’m interested in,” said WKU senior Michael Schilling of Bowling Green following the talk. “He drew my attention to some issues on voter rights that I wasn’t aware of.” 

Blake Rogers, a freshman from Paris, was among students waiting in line to register to vote after the talk. 

“I like to vote,” he said. “I think it’s important.” 

Although Rogers didn’t agree with every point Berman made, he still learned something.

“I didn’t know about all those things that were restricting voters,” he said, adding that America should be past that. 

For Crawford, Berman’s talk couldn’t be more timely in the current presidential election. 

“As Americans react to long lines at polling places and other voting rights issues, Ari Berman offers an important historic perspective and analysis of the state of democracy in our country,” she said in a news release. “I’m very pleased that we can offer WKU students and faculty as well as the larger community the opportunity to hear Berman’s important point of view.” 

The lecture was presented by WKU’s Fleischaker-Greene Scholars Program and the School of Journalism and Broadcasting. The Potter College of Arts and Letters, WKU’s history department and Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility also sponsored the talk. 

The lecture is connected to a class Crawford teaches with Saundra Ardrey, who chairs WKU’s political science department. The class, called “Power, Privilege and Democracy,” is through the Fleischaker-Greene Scholars program. It’s focus rotates each semester on different First Amendment issues. 

“It’s important for the next generation of students, that will be decision makers, for them to understand what it means to exist in a democratic society,” said Ardrey, who has a background in political science and African American studies. 

“We often think that once a right is granted or a privilege is granted then it’s secure, but we know that it is not,” she said, adding she hopes Berman voices a historical perspective “as well as the need to be ever vigilant.” 

This semester, the course is bringing together journalism and political science students to study the history and issues surrounding voting rights issues. Cameron Love is among the students contributing to a website that will eventually showcase the students’ work. 

Love took the course to contribute his skill in design. 

“I’ve learned a lot about voting laws and voting restrictions,” he said. 

Georgetown senior Bria Granville described the lecture as a “culmination of everything we’ve been talking about” in the class. 

“I think that it’s really made me a lot more interested in voting and in politics,” she said. 

— Follow education reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter @aaron_muddbgdn or visit bgdailynews.com.