Tonight’s Chicago edition of Public Affairs celebrates our nation’s 246^th birthday, featuring guest Steve Boulton, Chair, Chicago Republican Party discussing with show host Berkowitz how best to insure fair and honest democratic elections

The show airs in the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm and midnight on Cable Ch. 21 (CAN TV).

You can also watch the show 24/7 by clicking here.  

The Berkowitz- Boulton discussion was taped just two days before the U. S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on Thursday of this week supporting the Arizona election law that significantly curtails ballot harvesting and requires votes cast outside of the voter’s precinct to be discarded.

Tonight’s show discussion should give viewers some perspective to understand and assess the Supreme Court’s opinion.  

Election laws have recently been changed in other states, including Georgia and Florida, and as in Arizona, some argue those election laws are designed to discourage minority voting, are discriminatory against minorities and violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  Others, including the majorities in the legislatures in those states disagree and argue the laws are designed to prevent fraud and insure ballot integrity and security.   

The Department of Justice 10 days ago filed a lawsuit against Georgia arguing on similar grounds to those argued by the Democratic Party in the lawsuit involving Arizona that the new Georgia election law violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Georgia will of course argue it’s law was constitutional and not illegal, in part because Georgia has a compelling need to prohibit voter fraud and moreover, the law had neither a racially discriminatory intent nor effect, all of which the Supreme Court found in it’s decision this past week holding the Arizona law constitutional .  

We explore the above and other issues with attorney Boulton, an expert in voting laws and regulations, and provide a foundation for understanding some of the likely benign motivations of the Georgia legislators- even though our show was taped two days before the Supreme Court handed down it’s decision in the Arizona case.

The show also airs this week on cable in:

— Chicago tomorrow night at 9:41 pm on Cable Ch 21 (CAN TV)

— Aurora, Wednesday, 6 pm, Cable Ch 10

— Rockford & surrounding areas, Thursday, 8:30 pm, Cable Ch 17 

— Chicago, Saturday, 9:41 am, Cable Ch 21

—  Chicago, Sunday, 9:11 am, Cable Ch19