President calls on Congress to upgrade Voting Rights Act
On 50th anniversary of law, Obama says it ‘has to be a priority’
President Obama marked the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act on Thursday by calling on Congress to update the law and urging people to register to vote.
“There are people of goodwill on both sides of the aisle who are willing to do it, but it keeps slipping as a priority,” Obama said. “This has to be a priority. If this isn’t working, nothing ’s working.”
The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the act two years ago, ruling that jurisdictions with a history of discrim- ination are no longer required to have voting changes preapproved by the Justice Department.
Obama pointed to battles at the state and local level, where voting rights groups challenged voter identification laws. Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled a Texas law is discriminatory and violates the act.
“There are almost no instances of people going to vote in someone else’s name. It turns out it’s just not a common crime,” Obama said. He urged states to restore early voting days that have been rolled back over the years.
He said voters have to do their part, and Americans need to focus not only on the laws but also on the “habits of citizenship.” He said he would proclaim Sept. 22 National Voter Registration Day.
Obama discussed the landmark voting law at a national teleconfe- rence in the afternoon with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Rep. John Lewis, D- Ga., and voting rights advocates.
In a speech in Selma, Ala., in March, Obama said the future of the Voting Rights Act was “subject to political rancor.”