In their morning show Hoy Dia, Telemundo journalist Aranxta Loizaga very negatively framed coverage of the Supreme Court’s decision to continue to uphold two laws that protect voting integrity in Arizona, depicting them as restricting voting rights and discriminating against minorities.
Watch below as Loizaga frowned and emoted her way through the introduction of an otherwise relatively neutral report with video and soundbite explaining both sides of the issue:
ARANTXA LOIZAGA, TELEMUNDO: And we are now going to talk about the right to vote. This is, obviously, a democratic republic. It turns out that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state of Arizona, and upheld laws that impose restrictions on voting. The justices claimed that these laws are not discriminatory.
Univision has kept the story off of its newscasts so far, but featured a similarly hot take on their website:
This Thursday, the Supreme Court backed two electoral laws from Arizona that restrict the right to vote that several groups claim have a greater effect on the state’s minorities, a key case with regard to the future of other similar laws pushed by Republicans in 47 states.
As was the case with other issues, much of the reporting surrounding this case was predicated upon the networks’ belief that their viewers are complete morons.
The first statute upheld by the Supreme Court called for in-person ballots cast at wrong precincts to be discarded. Were Univision and Telemundo implying that their viewers are not smart enough to know where their assigned precincts are? To suggest that people vote where they are supposed to vote is somehow “restrictive” adds further insult to injury.
The second law allows only certain relatives or caretakers to deliver another person’s completed ballot to the polls. This means that the activist organizations that get so much airtime on Univision and Telemundo -- primarily immigration advocacy nonprofits -- are now cut out of the ballot harvesting business. Recall that Univision recently whined over Florida’s recently-passed ballot harvesting ban:
AYLEN DEL TORO, UNIVISION: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the controversial SB 90 bill, which seeks to curtail access to voting by mail, as has been proposed by which seeks to curtail access to voting by mail, as has been proposed by other Republican-led, Trump-supporting states- with the baseless election fraud. Now, what does this law consist of? I'll explain it to you.
They'll verify your signature, which means that voters must have a signature on file at (their local Supervisor of Elections office). Now, those who want to vote by mail must request their ballot each election cycle. It creates limits upon who can collect and return a voter's ballot. It bars private financing of elections, and expands partisan observer power during the counting of the ballots in particular. On the other hand, it restricts the use of dropboxes during the early voting period, which used to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
These basic security measures have nothing to do with race, but the racial grievance merchants at Univision and Telemundo have no other card to play except to cry “restrictive.”
How does ensuring that ballots are protected from mix up or fraud on their way to the polls make it harder for people to vote in the first place? How is that racist? That much is never explained to viewers. Instead, the networks promote a so-called “voting rights” agenda that will ultimately lead to illegal voting practices and fraud. As Justice Samuel Alito said in his opinion, “Mere inconvenience cannot be enough to demonstrate a violation.”
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Click “Expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired:
Telemundo’s Hoy Día
July 2, 2021ARANXTA LOIZAGA: And we are now going to talk about the right to vote. This is, obviously, a democratic republic. It turns out that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state of Arizona, and upheld laws that impose restrictions on voting. The justices claimed that these laws are not discriminatory.
NACHO LOZANO: Now ladies and gentlemen, you're probably wondering, how does this decision from the high court affect the voters of that state? Well, the reporter for Telemundo's Phoenix affiliate, Valeria Aponte has the details. Valeria, please.
VALERIA APONTE: While the Arizona attorney general celebrates this ruling by saying that it is a victory that protects the integrity of elections in Arizona and around the country, Latino activists fighting to protect the right to vote say that those laws only create more obstacles for voters.
EDUARDO SAINZ: We are disappointed in this Supreme Court decision.
APONTE: That's how Eduardo Sainz reacted Thursday morning when he learned that the Supreme Court, with a 6-to-3 vote, decided in favor of the state of Arizona. The ruling allows for continued implementation in Arizona of two laws that were passed by the state legislature in 2016, that place restrictions on voting.
SAINZ: This would make it even more difficult for our community to come out and vote.
APONTE: One of the laws that was disputed was the one that prohibits the collection of ballots by organizations and anyone other than a relative or caretaker of the voter. The other allows election officials to discard ballots that are tendered in a precinct that is not the one assigned to the voter. The court, with its conservative majority, rejected that these laws discriminate against minorities.
JASON SNEAD: It's a fantastic win for free and fair elections.
APONTE: Jason Snead, with the Honest Elections Project, says this is a big win, adding that this decision will bring more security and confidence to the process. He also hopes that other states will adopt similar laws.
SNEAD: I certainly do hope that states take steps like that to provide greater security and greater confidence in the process.
APONTE: However, the battle is not over.
SAINZ: We are preparing to examine this and see if there are any other lawsuits that we can pursue as civic groups in order to protect the right to democracy in our community.
APONTE: Activists opposing this ruling are pressuring lawmakers to take action in Congress, as laws have been passed across the nation that place more restrictions on voting. Back with you.
LOZANO: Thank you very much Valeria. Thanks for the report, that was the explanation.
