Obama pushes Congress to renew Voting Rights Act

As Rutenberg chronicles, from the moment the ink was dry on the Voting Rights Act, there has been a concentrated effort to undermine this historic law and turn back the clock on its progress. “Too often, they are rooted in that history”, he wrote. “They remind us that progress does not come easy, but that it must be vigorously defended and built upon for ourselves and future generations”.

“If in fact those practices, those trends, those tendencies are allowed to continue unanswered, then over time, the hard-won battles of 50 years ago erode, and our democracy erodes”, Obama said.

Last week, Obama marked the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act at the White House, where he criticized states that have instituted laws that effectively discourage some people from voting. For decades before its enactment, states had used laws – including literacy tests, grandfather clauses and poll taxes – to prevent African-Americans from voting.

Obama and Democrats in Congress have pushed for new legislation, saying the state laws have made it harder to vote. “Above all, we must exercise our right as citizens to vote, for the truth is that too often we disenfranchise ourselves”.

The magazine got an unusual volume of letters, according to a note from the editor that accompanies Obama’s letter, which was published online Wednesday. What makes America special is our capacity to change. The act was designed to enforce the voting rights cemented by the U.S Constitution, but voting advocates say more work needs to be done after U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in the Shelby v. Holder case.

The League of Women Voters has been standing its ground in the fight against discrimination and for voting rights for 95 years; and restoring the Voting Rights Act is an important step to keep our elections fair, free and accessible.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated prejudicial voting restrictions towards black and Hispanic voters.

Rosanell is now 94 years old. But Eaton’s ability to cast a ballot has recently been tested by a new government-issued photo identification requirement in the state; she and her daughter had to make nine trips to the Department of Motor Vehicles, totaling more than 250 miles of driving, to acquire the papers Eaton needed to obtain an accepted form of ID.

“I speak to all of us, all of you, about how critical it is that we each find our voice and stand for something”, she said.