President Joe Biden delivered a speech on voting rights and did not hold back on his promise to challenge Republican voting restrictions.
“They want to make it so hard and inconvenient that they hope people don’t vote at all. That’s what this is about,” Biden said while delivering remarks on Tuesday.
He noted in 2021 alone, 17 states have enacted 28 new laws to “make it harder for Americans to vote.”
“The 21st century Jim Crow assault is real. It’s unrelenting. And we’re gonna challenge it vigorously,” Biden continued.
The president mentioned the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
He said the For the People Act would “help end voter suppression in the states, get dark money out of politics, give voice to the people at the grassroots level, create a fair district map, and end partisan political gerrymandering.”
Biden on Republican voting restriction bills: "They want make it so hard and inconvenient that they hope people don't vote at all. That's what this is about … the 21st century Jim Crow assault is real. It's unrelenting. And we're gonna challenge it vigorously." pic.twitter.com/gH2WX4GUFt
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 13, 2021
Last month Senate Republicans blocked debate on the For the People Act, as IJR previously reported.
“We must pass the For the People Act. It’s a national imperative. We must also fight for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore and expand voting protections and prevent voter suppression,” Biden said.
He added, “As soon as Congress passes the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, I will sign it.”
Biden recently expressed his disappointment with the Supreme Court after it decided to uphold voting restrictions in Arizona, as IJR reported.
“I am deeply disappointed in today’s decision by the United States Supreme Court that undercuts the Voting Rights Act, and upholds what Justice Kagan called ‘a significant race-based disparity in voting opportunities,'” Biden said in a statement.
He continued, “We should be fully enforcing voting rights laws, not weakening them.”
On Monday, more than 50 Texas House Democrats left the state to block the legislature from passing new voting restrictions.
