By Tashi McQueenAFRO Political Writertmcqueen@afro.com
On Nationwide Voter Registration Day, Home Democrats re-introduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Development Act. The invoice was initially launched in 2021.
“We at the moment are 10 years faraway from the disastrous Shelby County v. Holder determination the place the Supreme Court docket gutted the Voting Rights Act. In these 10 years, we witnessed relentless assaults on voter entry,” stated Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) at a press convention within the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19. “Closing polling stations with out notification, bans on early voting and voting by mail, strict ID necessities, purging of voter rolls and the listing goes on.”
“We Home Democrats are able to get into some good hassle as we reintroduce the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Development Act.”
The invoice, H.R. 14, goals to guard the fitting to vote by restoring and modernizing full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 within the title of the late civil rights activist and congressman John R. Lewis.
“It was our late colleague, John Lewis, who was stricken with most cancers the final time he was on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He nonetheless stood up and he stated his final phrases, ‘We should always by no means quit, by no means give in, preserve the religion and preserve our eyes on the prize,’” stated Sewell. “We Home Democrats are able to get into some good hassle as we reintroduce the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Development Act.”
Sewell stated although they don’t have a lot help from Home Republicans, they are going to be certain there’s help via grassroots actions.
“I believe it’s tremendous essential that Rep. Sewell launched the laws she did,” stated Nina Kasniunas, a political science professor at Goucher School. “Whereas this laws in all probability has zero probability of advancing previous the stage of being launched as a result of we have now a Republican-controlled Home, when folks go to see what Congress is doing about voting rights, they are going to see that this laws has been launched, they usually can see who’s supporting.”
Kasniunas stated Republican help will not be out of the query however stated it’s about priorities.
“Republicans have supported voting rights, and a few of them proceed to,” stated Kasniunas. “On condition that we’re 11 days from a authorities shutdown as a result of they will’t move appropriations payments, I think about that will probably be their main focus, they usually’ve given us no indication that they are going to take up voting rights laws.”
