Attorney General Eric Holder,
saying that he was "deeply disappointed" by the Supreme Court's decision
gutting the Voting Rights Act, calls on Congress to pass new legislation replacing the portion of the act struck down by the Court:
As the President has made clear, Congress needs to act to make sure every American has equal access to the polls. The Department also will work with Congress and other elected and community leaders to formulate potential legislative proposals to address voting rights discrimination – because, on their own, existing statutes cannot totally fill the void left by today’s Supreme Court ruling. And I am hopeful that new protections can and will pass in this session of Congress.
The Voting Rights Act has always had strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, and today’s ruling should not change that. This is not a partisan issue, it’s an American issue – because our democracy is founded on ensuring that every eligible citizen has access to the ballot box.
I know it's basically impossible to imagine today's Republican Party agreeing to anything to the left of Attila the Hun, but let's not forget, just seven years ago there wasn't a single Senate Republican to vote against the coverage map struck down by the Court today and only 33 House Republicans voted no.
Clearly, those numbers would be very different today, because the GOP has moved far to the right. But even if it's a foregone conclusion that Republicans will oppose voting rights for all Americans, congressional Democrats need to force them to go on record with where they stand. The right to vote is something worth fighting for, and Americans deserve to know whether their elected officials agree.
It’s a little known fact that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to vote for everyone, but we are fighting to change this. Please sign the petition to join Daily Kos, Color of Change, and a growing movement to pass a constitutional amendment guaranteeing and protecting the freedom to vote for all.
