Block the vote 2016

>>> and we are back. the election was just two weeks ago, but republicans are already looking for new ways to suppress the vote in 2016 . we don't even get a break? one of 2012 's voter suppression experts, ohio secretary of state , john husted , is taking the lead in floating the idea of rigging the electoral college vote. it's the same scheme governor tom corbett in pennsylvania has tried. instead of all the current winner-take-all system, which handed president obama ohio 's 18 electoral votes , husted's plan would divide electoral votes by congressional district . ohio political blog , blunderblund, points out, under husted's plan, 12 of ohio 's 18 electoral votes would have been handed to mitt romney , the popular vote loser. husted put it this way.

>> it will not be a winner take all state , and you would not have another elections controversy about ohio , because we wouldn't matter as much anymore.

>> any elections controversy in ohio was a product of john husted and the gop's attempt to suppress the vote. ohio , i certainly hope you're listening to this. i know we just got through an election, but they're back at it again. because, you see, the man managing your election is looking for new ways to make your vote not matter the next time around. joini ining us tonight, ohio state senator , nina turner. senator, good to have you with us on this. i'll tell you what, these republicans just won't back down at all. what is husted up to? what is happening here?

>> if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again to suppress the vote. the secretary of state is in full effect in the dirty, rotten, tricks department. it makes no sense, and i agree with you, i hope that ohioans are listening. anytime you have an elected official say that he or she, but he in this case, does not want his state to be relevant in the next election, what an insult to the voters of this state . but i'm going to tell you something. evil never sleeps, so good can never take a vacation. and the democrats are going to continue to fight for the rights of all folks to vote in this state , as we have been.

>> how would dividing the electoral votes by district hand the state of ohio to republicans?

>> well, you know they gerrymandered the map, ed, and we have one of the worst maps of any state in the united states right now. that means that 12 of those votes -- 12 of those electoral college votes would have gone to mitt romney , governor romney, although the president won the popular vote . it is because they rigged the -- they gerrymandered the entire map here in the state of ohio . so although our president won the state of ohio , 75% of our congressional seats went to republicans.

>> so husted is coming up with a plan, that is going to break it up into districts, that it would actually make it easier, because of their gerrymandering, it would make it easier for a republican, nationally, to take the state of ohio . how does he get this through? where's john kasich on this, and what has to happen for this to turn out the way husted wants it?

>> again, ed, we have not heard anything from the government on this issue, but i tell you this. the democrats in this state and other civic-minded groups, we're not going to sit idly by and let the secretary of state try to do this. the general assembly needs to step up to the plate in this state and they need to set aside, and i'm talking about the gop members of the general assembly , their party affiliation when it comes to voting. voting is a matter of allowing the folks in the state of ohio to vote freely, no matter who they choose to vote for. and it shouldn't be based on party affiliation. and the fact that you have a secretary of state trying to rig the election only for a republican is a sad state of affairs . but the general assembly needs to step up, ed, and i will be there to push thethat.

>> seems to me like the national party has got their mits on this. or is husted smart enough to come up with this plan? i mean, it would seem to me that the national republicans are sitting there saying, we can't win the white house unless we have ohio . we have to come up with a plan to make sure we can divide this stuff up, so the republicans will have a better chance of winning it.

>> they tried in 2012 , because the m thes stood up, and we'll keep standing up and fighting. whether it's the national republican party or the state party here in ohio , we're getting ready for them and we're not going to stand down.

>> all right. great to have you with us. ohio state senator , nina turner. thank you for your time tonight. and a quick update on a story that we've been following. mediation talks between hostess and their workers' union have failed. today a federal judge approved a plan for hostess to wind down operations and the company will start to liquidate, selling off its assets. this means that 15,000 hostess workers will face immediate layoffs and within another additional 3,000 layoffs after they wind down and liquidate the assets. investors have expressed interest in buying the twinkie brand name. twinkie will survive hostess' bad business practices, but the employees will be out of luck, right before the holidays. i can't believe that management at hostess is going to be getting a bonus while all of these employees are going to be getting a pink slip .

>>> one of the greatest college football coaches in history is retiring. tonight, i'll tell you why his unconventional coaching style helped him win big. stay