Dem urges passage of voting rights legislation

Rep. John Carney (D-Del.) on Wednesday called for an overhaul of voting rights legislation ahead of the upcoming anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” civil rights march.

March 7 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march where activists encountered violent police officers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Many members of Congress and President Obama plan to be in Selma on that day to recognize the anniversary.

{mosads}”The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the unrelenting efforts of heroes like our colleague, John Lewis, helped correct these injustices. But the fight isn’t over,” Carney said on the House floor.

The Supreme Court invalidated a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in 2013 that determined certain states and localities with racial discrimination histories needed approval from the Justice Department to change voting laws. Congress has not moved a legislative overhaul to replace the law since the ruling. Meanwhile, many states have established voter ID laws in recent years which opponents argue suppress voter turnout.

“State legislation, ballot initiatives and court cases across the country in recent years have jeopardized the voter registration protections that John Lewis and others fought so hard for. So we need to stay vigilant and we need new legislation today,” Carney said.

The House recently passed a bill, 420-0, awarding a Congressional Gold Medal to the “foot soldiers” who participated in the 1965 voting rights marches.