Summary

Watch the video and complete the questions below. For a transcript of this story, click here .

Five Facts

• How many people struggle to read in the U.S., according to this story?


• Who is interviewed in this story, and what is her background?


• What are some ways literacy tests have been used to block people from voting in the past, according to this interview?


• Why do some current state voting laws limit the ability to vote for people who have difficulty reading?


• Where are some of these new voting laws going into place?

Focus Questions

Do you think it's important to make sure everyone that is eligible to vote should be able to vote without obstacles? What are some ways to remove these obstacles? Media literacy: How can you find out more about the problems faced by voters who have difficulty reading? You can check out Aliyya Swaby's (interviewed in this story) original article here .

For More

What students can do: Look up the voter laws in your own state. Which of these laws might be an obstacle for people with difficulty reading? What are some ways to remove barriers for such people so that they can vote? To find out about election laws in your state as well as upcoming elections, start here .

 

FILE PHOTO: A voter casts his ballot next to a bottle of hand sanitizer at the Milwaukee Public Library’s Washington Park location in Milwaukee, on the first day of in-person voting in Wisconsin, U.S., October 20, 2020. Wisconsin’s early voting period, known as absentee in-person voting, began October 20. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo

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