Democrats demand expansion of voting rights in memory of John Lewis
Source: Washington Post
Democratic lawmakers said Sunday that they dont want tweets or condolences to honor civil rights icon John Lewis. They want policymakers to get to work to honor the Georgia congressmans legacy.
Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), the House majority whip, urged President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to pass legislation that would expand voting rights in Lewiss name.
It should be the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020, Clyburn said on CNNs State of the Union. Thats the way to do it. Words may be powerful, but deeds are lasting.
Reps. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) also echoed this sentiment in interviews on Sunday morning and called for swift passage of the legislation, called the Voting Rights Advancement Act. The House in 2019 passed the legislation, which would restore key protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court struck down in 2013.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-demand-expansion-of-voting-rights-in-memory-of-john-lewis/ar-BB16VVz4?li=BBnb7Kz
Hear that Moscow Mitch? Put you money where your mouth is.
elleng
(130,126 posts)ProudMNDemocrat
(16,481 posts)The ball is in Mitch's court now.
TomCADem
(17,378 posts)The best form of voter suppression is simply to make voting incredibly inconvenient by (1) reducing polling locations, (2) reducing early in-person voting opportunities, and (3) reducing vote by mail voting, particularly in larger urban areas. On top of that, you add voter ID laws to make voting take even longer overall. While a lot of this is done to discourage minority voters, as these pictures show, these measures affect everyone.
Why not set minimum standards for the convenience of voters. Allow voters a choice of where to vote in their counties, rather than forcing them to go to one location, which could be very busy. Also, rather than one election day, have an election week over which time people can vote, rather than restricting voting to one day in the middle of the work week.
Finally, allow more people to vote by mail, rather than forcing people to stand in line for hours during a pandemic.
csziggy
(34,120 posts)Which, with the more stringent requirements for Real ID, make voting cost the voter and amounts to a poll tax.
In Florida to get a photo ID, you have to provide a certified copy of your birth certificate as well as any event (marriage, divorce, or death of a partner) the might change your name. The ID itself costs $25 every few years, the paperwork to get it can cost as much as $25 per document.
People living on a poverty level income cannot afford that cost so lose their right to vote.
If the GOP wants a photo ID make it the person's voter card.
JudyM
(29,122 posts)diva77
(7,604 posts)condolence concerning John Lewis next to Mcturtle's dust-gathering, cobwebbed inbox of legislation from the House regarding voting rights that he refuses to act on.