@meghannmcuniff: One of President Joe Biden's guests tonight was legendary civil rights leader Betty Mae Fikes, who marched with the late John Lewis on March 7, 1965, from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights. The day became known as Bloody Sunday when police beat Lewis and others as they tried to cross a bridge over the Alabama River that was named for Ku Klux Klan leader Edmund Pettus, who was a U.S. senator. "The daughter of gospel singers and preachers, she sang songs of prayer and protest on that Bloody Sunday," Biden said. Biden used it to urge Congress to pass The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which modernizes the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that Fikes and Lewis were instrumental in changing the national dialogue on. The 1965 law included a requirement designed to ensure racial minorities can vote with equal access everywhere. According to the Brennan Center, “The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 14, S. 4) would modernize and revitalize the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Supreme Court has hampered the law by gutting its preclearance provisions in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) and by making it harder to sue to stop discriminatory practices in Brnovich v. DNC (2021). The John Lewis Act would strengthen the law, moving us closer to ending discrimination in voting and guaranteeing equal access to the ballot. the new John Lewis act would, among other things, make "some types of voting changes subject to preclearance nationwide [through the DOJ or federal courts], if certain conditions are met, because those changes are so often discriminatory. The following practices would be covered: Creating at-large districts in places with sufficiently large minority populations. Changing jurisdiction boundaries to remove minorities from the jurisdiction in places with sufficiently large minority populations. Changing the boundaries of a district where a minority group is sufficiently large and has had a large population increase. Imposing stricter requirements for documentation or proof of identity to vote. Reducing the availability of or altering multilingual voting materials. Reducing, consolidating, or relocating polling places, early and Election Day voting opportunities, or absentee voting opportunities in places with sufficiently large minority populations. Making it easier to remove voters from the rolls in places with sufficiently large minority populations.” You can learn more at https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/john-lewis-voting-rights-advancement-act #politics #voting #biden #civilrights #stateoftheunion

Meghann Cuniff

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Friday 08 March 2024 04:06:20 GMT