Posted on 08/04/2015 11:09:24 AM PDT by jazusamo
President Obama will call for the restoration of the Voting Rights Act on its 50th anniversary Thursday, the White House said.
Obama will hold a teleconference to commemorate the landmark legislation and call for its renewal, following a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that voided one of its central provisions.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who rose to prominence in the 1960s as a civil rights leader, will participate.
The event will allow Obama to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans, many of whom argue some provisions of the 1965 law went too far. It will take place on the same day as the first GOP presidential primary debate.
Asked about the timing of the event, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that “one person’s irony is another person’s serendipity.”
“Maybe there will be an opportunity for Republican candidates to discuss the right for every American to cast a vote,” he added.
In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a part of the law that required nine Southern states with a history of racial discrimination to obtain federal approval before changing their voting laws.
That paved the way for states such as North Carolina and Texas to adopt strict rules requiring voters to bring specific identification to the polls.
Democrats say those laws are meant to discourage minorities from voting, but Republicans say they are intended to cut down on voter fraud.
Democrats in Congress want legislation to provide new voter protections, but GOP leaders have slammed the brakes on new voting rights bills.
Earnest said "the administration is very interested in trying to make some progress" on voting rights, adding that officials have discussed strategy with Democratic lawmakers.
Another typical juvenile act by the lawless _resident.
Re-pass a law that was ruled unconstitutional??
Typical Obama.
By November of nest year I expect the DJ will be enforcing a new rule requiring that ID may be presented or requested at voting stations and no questions may be asked and no denials of the vote permitted to anyone for any reason at all,
This is all Hussein Obama has.
He’s all about dividing. That’s all he’s got to offer.
McConnell, pick up the RED phone.
“...Typical Obama...”
Yes, typical with NO ACCOUNTABILITY for his deliberate lack of hate for the Constitution.
Yeo, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all.
No worries, he’ll sign an EO and Congress will do bupkis to fight it.
It was not declared unconstitutional.
This law gets passed and me might as well dismantle the Republican Party.
He doesn't need Congress or so he thinks. He will probably issue some decree.
The only change that should be made is one person, one vote. Violate that and you lose all benefits and can never vote again.
That’s after spending 10 years in prison.
How about we pass a new bill mandating Voter ID to protect the sanctity of the vote, and call it the Voting Rights Bill of 2015?
But one does NOT need ID to vote for our representatives.
I would like to see a single election day as well. Having the polls open for two weeks is Christmas for Community Organizers.
Amen! And proof of citizenship when registering, not just checking a box.
Good clauses, thanks.
What an uproar such a bill would cause, if it could ever get out of committee!
Do you think any of our more conservative reps read FR?
Uproar is an understatement, the Rats would go ballistic and they’d surely have some GOPe on their side.
I’d like to think at least some do, they sure should.
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