Quarles said she remembers the men and women who strived to ensure that black Americans had the right to vote. We can not allow this sacred right to be undone by laws and policies designed to suppress the voice of the American people.
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Obama further emphasized that Congress, state legislators, businesses, universities and citizens are all responsible for maintaining and expanding voting rights. This would include a driver’s license, a personal identification card, a concealed-carry permit, a U.S. passport, a military ID card or a U.S. citizenship certificate.
Supporters of the law say strong ID is needed to prevent voter fraud. Political activists say if today’s Americans knew the fight it took to earn their right to vote, more black voters would crowd the polls.
The 1965 law outlawed those practices and required Department of Justice approval for election changes in seven states and parts of other states that routinely had deprived minority citizens of their right to vote. It’s just not a – it turns out its just not a common crime. The Texas ID case – along with another in Texas challenging its redistricting plans and a case in North Carolina over broader changes in election rules – has been closely watched in legal circles to see how courts will interpret the remaining provisions of the landmark federal law.
The remarks came on the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
And back in Washington, Congressman John Lewis, who marched in Selma to Montgomery 50 years ago, has been urging his Republican counterparts to bring to the floor a bill that would restore the Voting Rights Act.
On Wednesday, the Texas voter ID law was struck down by a federal appeals panel, saying it was discriminatory and violated the Voting Rights Act, according to the New York Times.
There’s still a need for a robust Voting Rights Act.
However, the district court also said in 2014 that Texas legislators had deliberately adopted a discriminatory law.
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The League of Women Voters of the Bartlesville Area will host a voter registration event on September 22 at the Bartlesville Public Library, where volunteers will provide detailed information on topics ranging from new voter registration, precincts and access to non-partisan candidate information.
