do that. i am -- i will make this the most prosperous state in the union. you have my promise. i appreciate your support on november 6th. >> all right. i want to thank our candidates. i want to thank our viewers for joining in. don't forget the vote is november 6th as mark said. you can still vote absentee for almost another 3, 3 1/2 weeks. thanks for joining us. have a great weekend. >> with midterm elections just days away, watch the competition for the control of congress on c-span. see for yourself the candidates and the debates from key house and senate races. make c-span your primary source for campaign 2018. >> tonight wisconsin republican governor scott walker and democrat will take part in a debate in madison, wisconsin. live coverage begins at 9:00

p.m. eastern on c-span 2. c-span is your primary source for campaign 2018. >> joining us now derek johnson serves as the president and ceo of the naacp talking about voter mobilization leading up to the november elections. good morning. >> good morning. >> statistics show us that about 56% of african-americans showed up for the 2016 elections. do you expect that kind of turnout this time around in 2018? >> i think the level of enthusiasm among african-americans is at an all-time high. that's evidence when you look at the most recent special elections and the primary elections. what percentage turnout in ? we don't know. the job of the naacp is to increase turnout and try to make it as close as presidential turnout. >> talk a little bit about that. what steps are part of that process? >> right, naacp we invested heavily in data to look at what

is turnout among african-americans for midterm elections. we recognized that there is a dip in turnout compared to presidential elections. so we began to target infrequent african-american voters. those are voters who vote during a presidential election but typically don't vote in midterm election and aggressively communicate with those voters in targeted areas to increase turnout. >> what kind of information? >> talk about the political landscape, level of intolerance, racial hatred, the most recent kavanaugh hearings and what that means to civil rights as a whole, access to healthcare, quality education, all the bread and butter issues that's important. but what we really look at is our polling data. our polling data says that african-americans feel disrespected. we're talking about earning back our respect through the power of the vote. >> when you talk to these voters and you reach out to them are you telling them to vote for a certain candidate or are you making the pitch to just vote overall? >> overall voting.

naacp we are a nonpartisan organization. we don't support political parties or candidates but we do support engaging civically to make democracy work. we're talking about the responsibility of the civic duty. >> if you want to call, when it looks to african-americans, what are the top issues? >> respect, our polling telling us that many african-americans feel completely disrespected as a result of the outcome of the 2016 elections. next to that it is access to healthcare, education, jobs, opportunities. the traditional things that we've always talked about, but

more than anything else, feeling disrespected. having someone in the white house that completely creates false equivalency. when you look at charlottesville virginia between a racial hate group and protests. having someone in the white house calling african nations as whole countries. having someone in the white house to use demagoguery around racial division is something very familiar to the african-american community, it is something that we see as disrespectful to our existence as humans in this country. >> when you talk to folks as far as voting is concerned, will they vote mainly for the democratic party because of those things or do you have that kind of data? >> it is not for us to determine how they vote, but traditionally because there's been a party to better align policy agenda issues with the needs of interests of african-american communities, african-americans are going to vote their interests. we are saying to any political party, if you want our vote,

talk about the issues that are important to us and what's important to us is ensure that our elderly are cared for if their senior years, that our children have opportunities and well prepared, and that the disadvantaged however we define that are protected, in ways in which they can fully participate. that's what's important to african-americans. political parties who care about those issues will get the vote of african-american community. >> when it comes down to the idea of respect or the respect that you say voters want, how do you think that gets resolved from a midterm election, though, specifically? >> well, the political landscape as we currently see it is one in which the policy concerns that african-americans care most about are not being addressed. that's how you address respect. you're talking about young person's opportunity in the future. that's good quality public schools where children can have an opportunity to really thrive and learn. that's ensuring that those who have preexisting healthcare issues are not thrown away because they cannot afford healthcare. that's saying that social

mobility is real, that i have a job, and i have an opportunity to be mobile in this job, in advancing my career. those are issues that african-americans cares about. >> when it comes to the jobs, president trump points to the black unemployment rate and the number that it is. does that tell you something and does he make a point by looking at that number? >> i think the trajectory over the last eight, ten years is what we should look at. we hit a low point with the crash of the stock market. we've seen slowly african-americans come from under the low point. we have seen a constant trajectory of unemployment. we have seen a constant trajectory of progress. two years will not change that. 18 months will not change that. but more importantly what policies were put in place over the last 18 months to address those things? i venture to say none. >> so as far as specific states that you're looking at, is this a nationwide effort or are you looking at specific states?

>> we have targeted the demonstration in particular states. michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, north carolina, georgia, and florida where we're looking at infrequent african-american turnout. we're putting hundreds of people on doors to talk to those communities, to increase turnout and out of that demonstration to say that african-americans will control our vote. we will determine the outcome, and we're going to do that with a scientific method that with proven results. that's important. because no one else should be controlling the vote of the african-americans but the african-american communities. >> derek johnson serves as the president and ceo of the naacp. call comes from detroit michigan, democrat line, you are on with our guest. go ahead. >> caller: good morning to both of you and greetings. i have two questions and also i would like to make a comment, if

i can. what steps are being taken to prevent voter suppression efforts on the part of -- [inaudible] -- on the republican side? and how far if in terms of white people's attitudes among african-americans do you think they have changed especially the younger generation of white people? >> quickly, please. >> so in terms of voter suppression, we filed a lawsuit last week in georgia where we realized that over 59,000 applications were being denied process for new registered voters. we're preparing similar lawsuits to what took place in georgia in tennessee where we've also learned that there are voter suppression methods to deny voter registration applications being processed.

the naacp we see the whole nature of voter registration as a vote suppression method. why should citizens fill out an application to qualify to participate in the democracy that they invest in through their tax dollars? it is vote suppression. we're supporting the elimination of vote registration as we know it. in fact, there are four key components where we think we can expand democracy. one the elimination of voter registration. two, the elimination of restrictive polling places. someone shouldn't get off work, drive past three, four, five polling places before they can cast their ballot. thirdly, voting should not take place on a week day, a workday, contained within 12 hours in many states when people work 8 hours a day. it should be on a weekend or should be a holiday so everyone can participate. and then fourthly, there should be something like a compulsory voting that's practiced in over 200 democracies including australia where upwards of 96%

of the population vote or in canada where upwards of 92% of the population vote or in germany where 93% of the population vote. in the united states only about 70% of the population vote during presidential elections and that's considered a high turnout. that's not a true democracy. that's not true representative government. and naacp wants to open up democracy so all the voices can be heard. >> when it comes to that georgia race, a tweet was emphasized that the georgians on the pending list can still vote in the election on november 6th. >> that's misleading. those individuals will have to take out what's called a provisional ballot in many states and that's contested. that's not accurate. if he's concerned about those individual voting, process the applications so they can be legitimate voters on the voter roll and they can vote without any interruption. ::

i wanted to talk about voter fraud. in 2012 elections, with obama ready. in philadelphia with a population of 42,000 most african-american, six 9000 residents voted for barack obama. zero for mitt romney. that is an impossibility. if you want to talk about voter for democrats had a chance they would have the turnover anyways and they cry -- >> he dropped off.

mr. johnson. go ahead. >> absolutely. really not have that on the board by my predecessors. they -- this is not about partisanship it is about inclusion to ensure that all citizens of the country have an opportunity to participate. i challenge any political party if you care about the african-american community, understand with the needs and interests are of our community and that create platforms and avenues for full participation we do not use fear and racial hatred to divide because it is a losing equation for african-american voters.we are agnostic to political parties as long as political parties cater to our need interest. for many years we were in blocks as republicans and again, for many years, we have been in blocks voting for democrats. but for all of those we have voted for the interest of our communities to fully participate as citizens, to ensure young people have a quality education, to make sure

there is a safety net import of the tax cells are put into this is distributed in an equitable way. that's what we are concerned about and political parties are vehicles for those agendas. and i challenge the political parties, for an agenda that will really speak to me and the interest is our community. >> we see kanye west embrace and the president is at a way of reaching out to the black community then? >> i think he's an individual, a successful entertainer. but he doesn't represent the back community. he represents kanye west political interest and should have the right to do so. but we are not a monolith, there is no lead of the black community. individuals with very diverse opinions and he should be respected for his opinion as an individual but his opinions do not represent the black community. >> how so? >> in many ways. who is he accountable to? who has he spoken to?

how did he come to the conclusion? it was to inform his opinion, that is how so. we are not a monolith and he should have the right to have his opinion. whether you agree with it or not as an organization. as individuals, as part of the african-american community. because he should be able to do that. do i agree with his opinion? no. do i agree with the antics that he used in the meeting? no. i think it demeans the presidency so both he and president trump truly have a display of buffoonery. >> the president sat and listened doesn't show some respect? >> respect to who? kanye west? >> yes. and the issues. >> i think it was buffoonery. to demean that office of the presidency, to allow entertainment to come and allow antics and you sit there. this is the highest office in

this country. it should be treated with a level of respect, a level of dignity. a level of authority. that this country represents. it should not be used for late-night tweets. or entertainment. it is beyond words yc displayed. >> was difference between that president obama is embrace with beyoncc and jay-z that? they're both entertainers and the entertainment community? >> he invited them to celebrate their artistry, not political views. not to allow them to display that level of buffoonery. it is completely different. in that setting it was about kanye west 's views and opinions about policy. beyoncc and jay-z were there to be celebrated by their artistry. if the president want to celebrate kanye west 's artistry, that will be great. but let's put an ending, the

context it should be in. not anything else. >> for mrs. to become a democrat line, sarah, you are on with our guest. go ahead. >> yes, mr. johnson, i'm so glad to see you on this morning. the same that is happened over in georgia, i live in mississippi which is predominantly a black county. and the secretary of state removed all of the absentee ballots and now we have to prove that the reason we are not able to come to the voting polls and vote, we have to bring a certificate saying that we are disabled or a senior citizen and i think it was done in purpose. of course, you're from mississippi and you know he is a republican and they are destroying all kinds of things to remove ice off of the polls. anyway, i would like you to know that because i have no one

to talk to about it. and we really need to do something about that. >> we save know to talk about it, no one on the regional level would help you? or did you address these issues on the regional level? and getting a response? >> okay, i went ahead and i did get a certificate from my doctor. i had to start voting absentee ballots in 2010 because my father who i was a caregiver too, was bedridden. and i had no one to stay here with my father. that is when i started doing absentee ballot. other than that sarah, i would always go to the voting polls here in my county. but after i saw what was happening over in georgia, i likened to what happened to me is the same thing. >> thank you for your call. >> i think you should call the mississippi naacp office. so they can look into that. i'm not for sure of your

particulars of what he described to me. i do not think it is accurate in terms of what the law requires. first of all, it is the county of circuit clerk that is responsible for the absentee voter list. you can reach out to your county circuit clerk to determine if that is the case. if that is the cause, call the mississippi naacp office for the executive director can investigate the claim for that particular county. >> how does stacy abrams, how is she faring so far? >> it appears is a very competitive race. i think it will be dependent on turnout. we suspect that is why we are seeing this non-processing of voter registration applications. because it will be a very close race. african-american voter turnout is going to be critically important. and so i will be with you watching to see the outcome. >> you do not endorse

candidates, the naacp, do you endorse candidates? >> we do not promote political parties or endorse candidates. >> marconi, pat, republican line for our guest. >> hi. i'm a conservative republican. i think that donald trump and the administration are doing a wonderful job. it seems to me that i worked the last decade that the majority of the black democrats have always stuck to the democratic party. to hold on, if they feel that the republicans -- [inaudible] one of the give us a chance? vote for republicans in that way, it was to that they would have a better opportunity and that we are not the racist. if the black democratic party, and congress, and the house of

representatives, they are throwing out this race card along with these other democrats, political people and they using the black people as a token to get a vote. >> okay. >> unfortunately most recent history does not bear that. republicans have controlled house, senate, white house, majority of the state legislative bodies across the country. the majority of the governor seats across the country. in the level of racial intolerance has actually increased the number of racial incidents have actually increased. the response of republican leadership has been less than admirable in terms of denouncing activities. in fact, we look at some of the message of intolerance coming out the white house. republicans are standing up denouncing this presidents comments when it came to the

statements about -- when it comes to statements dealing with immigrants or women. those are all statements of racial importance. and both parties have an opportunity to speak out against it. we have not seen the type of reaction from republicans to demonstrate that they are concerned with racial intolerance. particularly during this period of time where they are in majority control of much of the political landscape across the country. >> maryland, independent line, tom, hi. >> my question is considering 4.4 million 2012 obama voters, stayed home a 2016 election, to third african-american. what mistakes were made in the clinton campaign to cause this disconnect with the african-american community and what can be done in the future to increase black voter turnout? >> no candidate or political

party should be the driver of african-american voter turnout. naacp, we recognize the inherent deficit in that type of approach. egocentric leadership will fail us every time. we must have a community centric approach. looking at how we truly leverage our vote collectively to, as a way to navigate the outcomes we would like to see in terms of the public policy landscape. >> family people have involved in this mobilization ever? >> as many people on the ground? it depends on the state. upwards of three, or 500 programs. thousands of volunteers. many of our organizations are religious institutions. we are all at high alarm at what we have seen over the last 18 months. it is our job to reverse the

current trend. >> what is a program costing you? >> it is a pretty penny. we're looking at around $6.5 million demonstration project this year. that is under what it should be considering the huge task that we have to undertake. naacp, we are volunteer driven organization. much of what we are going to see take place is from the volunteers that are going to push the interest of low their local community needs. >> for marilyn, democrat line. you are on with our guest. good morning. >> good morning everyone. i am a lifelong member of the naacp and i agree with everything you say so far. naacp. national association for advancement of colored people. you should cater to advancement of people of color because all my life, my very light-skinned brother you know, all to the military, are you white or colored? are you white or are you colored? i think it should change to people of color. thank you very much, sir.

doing a great job! >> thank you. >> virginia. john from the independent line. >> good morning. want to refer back to a caller about three colors back. respectfully, i would like to recommend that naacp take a look at what the democrats are offering you versus what the republicans are offering you. i think the democrats are offering you sort of perfection in equality and equality utopia that i am not sure is going to help the black community as much as the republicans and they look at character and merit within the private realm and so forth. respectfully, i think that the naacp in looking at the two different parties, and i heard you suggest that you're not

affiliated with each one. or either one. but you are independent.and i respect that. i think you ought to look at what we have for the black community and frankly, any people, not just black or colored or brown people but any peoples. if you look at character and the character within the society, if you look at education within your society, and whether or not the republicans or the democrats are doing a better job with regard to education, i think those issues might help you choose which candidate, which party you would like to support. >> can you give us an example how? >> let's take one example. i think is when the naacp particularly is interested in. you mentioned a couple of times. education. see were democratic administrations within inner cities in particular, are doing a very poor job with regards to

educating youth in the city, thus, have the competition now between private and charter schools and public schools. in washington d.c., the high schools were graduating kids that were not eligible to graduate. thousands and thousands of them. and that is something that the democrats who run the administrations, should have yelled from the rooftops. this is not right. we need to do something. >> we give an example and before that -- >> i think it's an important thing. in character i define, what does one do in the dark when no one is paying attention because it is the right thing to do. it is not in good character to malign women. and talk about grabbing them by their personal parts.it is not in good character to cut a deal with foreign nations and now we looking at the potential someone sitting in the white house as an unindicted

conspirator to undermine this democracy. it is not a good character to have statements when you characterize communities as thieves. it's not a good character when you, when the party stand by and watch these activities and say nothing in response to it. we talk about merit. merit is often times used as an excuse to not provide access or when you have people of good merit, but you create something that did not exist before. we have seen that take place across the board. by both parties. education has been equal opportunity, missed opportunity by both parties. it is something that naacp, we filed thousands of log suits against education systems headed up by republicans and democratic parties because the denial of quality education for all children. it is one of the things this nation refuses to truly address

across the board. and it is unfortunately a missed opportunity because of so many kids who are underexposed to access to the rigors of a quality education and as a result of that, the nation are lagging behind so many nations around providing delivery of public education. you don't do that by outsourcing it to a private concern so they can maximize profits. you make it a policy priority. across the country so that we can develop the best and most talented minds this country can offer across communities and racial lines. >> derek johnson. president and ceo of the naacp. served as vice chairman of the organization national board of directors as president of mississippi state conference of the naacp. for marilyn, democrat line, julia. go ahead, you're on with our guest. good morning. >> yes, thank you for today. i just wanted to make a comment

and then about the kanye west statement you made.i agree with a lot of what you said. i feel like that was done to maybe bring out the black men who you know maybe have fathers that were not at home or fathers that were not around. i feel like that was a way to relate to them and i wanted to know your comments on that statement. thank you. >> first of all, it is sad to say, i think kanye west may have some mental issues that should be addressed. i do not think the appeal that perhaps what she would suggest was intended, nothing to do with what took place. it would be a mischaracterization to say that having kanye west at the white house is an appeal to young men without fathers at home. not only is it demeaning, it is nothing appealing and what we

see really speaks to potential mental illness. some of which i would say he might be bipolar. the white house should not be used as a platform for that display. it is demeaning to the country. it is something we should never see and unfortunately, it took place and it is not a black issue. we have a problem in the white house. >> how would you rate the effort of both republicans and democrats to reach out to african-americans for their vote? >> you know, i think one party has done better than another party while both parties come up short. i think it goes beyond political agenda. our interest is something that will make the democracy better. but equality eludes many because equality means someone has to give up power. and the democratic party has struggled with that.to have a clear seat at the table for everyone.

it is something that means someone has to give up. it is a struggle in the democratic party. it's a struggle in that republican party african-americans are no permanent enemy, a permanent interest and it is as long as one party is presenting itself as being a vehicle to carry the interest, that is where we will be. but i can assure you if the interest is not carried by one or both of the parties, we will seek out another way to make sure that there is inclusion for us at the table. >> if democrats take that that is our plan for the organization point two reach out and talk to them about the issues and how they should be manifested? >> we are talking to both parties as we speak. there are some republicans that agree with us on criminal justice reform. we communicate openly with them. there will be others on the democratic side of the house that talk about access to quality education. we will reach out to them. as we are reaching out to them. we are agnostic to who we talk to to advance our interests. that goes across the aisle.

>> from the republican line. steve.steve is in new jersey. hi. >> hi, how are you? i would like to address the issue of affirmative action as it applies to the selection process and universities. especially the selection process when it comes to medical schools and law schools. in which, people who are less qualified by academic performance or allowed to be enrolled in these, especially medical and law schools which i feel denigrates the quality of the profession. and people like the patient or a client, less confidence in the profession knowing that the person had gotten into these schools, not based on qualifications but based on the color of their skin. >> you know, i struggle with affirmative action. but it may not be the same type of affirmative action you're talking about. affirmative action legacy,

white male, white privilege, provided access, the concept, the positive affirmative action is one in which this country or a state or locale or university takes affirmative action to reverse the trend of inequity. by promoting diversity so that those with the skills and ability will have equal opportunity. that is the goal of the policy. it is not to put someone who is woefully unqualified in a position or in a profession that cannot perform in. it is to level the playing field of the inequity created because of a privilege based on where someone is born. that they have no choice of. so you have a lot of individuals who are entering professions because they are legacies. they are born in a household of

a dr. who gave money to a school so that the child can go to the school. it doesn't speak to anything on their qualifications. that is the type of inequity that the program of taking affirmative actions to ensure quality individuals who are competent and capable are provided a fair access and opportunity to succeed. >> from norman. norman in massachusetts, independent line. >> hi. thank you for taking my call and thank you for having mr. jackson on your show. the naacp is done many great things for the country and continues to. when i'm asking about is the board that you spoke of a few minutes ago. the board of directors of the naacp that has democrats and republicans on it. i would assume it has independents on it too. i just want to you know, compare the assistant to the eu

system. there are three right-wing parties, right-wing blocks. kind of the far right hate groups, the conservative and the liberals. most democrats or republicans and independents in this country line up with the conservatives. but they also have a left-wing block that includes socialist and what they called the green left basically former communist parties. i'm wondering, does the naacp board have anybody from green or socialist parties and i will hang up and listen to your answer. >> i would have to take a look. i know we have had people who were actively involved with the green party movement. and we have staff that were actively involved in the green party movement. our board, our membership and staff as a representative body. therefore members from hawaii, we have members in anchorage,

alaska. the membership is in the southeastern region because that is where over 52 percent of african-americans live. we are truly representative body of individuals who bring a very diverse set of opinions and agendas and experiences to the table. that is what makes us strong. that is what allowed us to exist for hundred nine years. we don't say well, only this frame of reference or this mindset or this experience should be part of our organization. we say, although things should be part of our organization so we can make, so we can have an opportunity to hear the voices ever african-americans across the country. >> did you hear from voters themselves leading up to that about their issues directly have a chance to talk to them and is shaped the way that you approach this voter mobilization turnout? >> we conducted a poll. a survey, we did online panels and we looked at data. where are we participating? where are we dropping off?

what can we do to increase participation and hear the messaging that people are saying, what is concerning you? how can we address the concerns collectively and what message can motivate the community? we have done all of those things. >> with respect aspect, heavy done that in past poles? >> it jumped off the page. as we begin to talk to people, people now are feeling disrespected. so we say okay, in order to gain our respect back, we have to control the vote and leverage it collectively to ensure the outcome of the elections reflect the needs of our community. >> when it comes to using the pole, by the way if you go to the website of the naacp, you can find the data in the pole. you can go to naacp.org, derrick johnson is our guest. you want asked the question why do black voters vote or not? when it comes to the not category are there other things following that?

>> it is about things, people may not think that their vote matters. we have to craft messaging for that. what's interesting, people who do not vote in the midterms, some do not realize what is taking place. think about elections peer there is a huge ad campaign for presidential elections. billions of dollars. but for midterm elections, is not the same level investment. people go out to vote when they are reminded and they are told that this thing is taking place and it's important. or if it is not a level of outreach, or ad campaign, then people simply do not know. although for those of us that are inside us, how is it that they can't know? elections take place on tuesday, it is within 12 hours, most people work eight or nine hours. and so they're going over their daily lives, only those of us that truly engage aggressively in this arena, we can tell you when elections will take place. we can tell you what's on the

ballot. because that's what we do. for naacp, recognize, we have a consistent line of communication and education so people know when issues that are important to them will be on the ballot and how they access the ballot to participate. >> follow the money and manpower how do you gain success from the effort? >> increase in turnout. it is not about which party win or lose, not about which candidate win or lose. are we able to move the needle percentagewise compared to the previous midterm election, and target areas and if were able to increase and hit benchmarks, that is success. >> derrick johnson president and ceo naacp. thank you for your time. >> thank you for the opportunity. >> night wisconsin governor scott walker and -- will take place -- take part in a debate. c-span, your source for

information on 2018. >> with midterm elections just days away, watch the competition for the control of congress. on c-span. see for yourself, the candidates and the debates from key house and senate races. make c-span your primary source for campaign 2018. ... >> in iowa, incumbent governor kim reynolds is on the ballot against democrat fred hubble. the race is predicted as likely democrat giving hubble an 85%