Political Quotes

“Mr. President, last year our country celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most important pieces of legislation that was passed in the 20th century. It opened the door for millions of Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote. But this year will mark the first Presidential election in half a century without the full protections guaranteed by that landmark law. One of the worst decisions this corporate-dominated Supreme Court made was Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down a key part of the law, taking the teeth out of provisions that protect voters from suppression laws. Since that misguided decision, States across the country have passed new voting restrictions that would disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Americans. At least 17 States have passed new voting restrictions since the Shelby County restriction. We know who is hurt most by these laws--African Americans, Latinos, young people, and seniors. In North Carolina, before enacting one of these laws, the State legislature specifically asked for data on voting patterns by race. Once they had this data, they decided to eliminate or limit the voting methods used by African-American voters.…”