By Stephen K. Cooper Special to the AFRO – African American voters will not sit out the upcoming election despite President Obama’s absence from the ballot, several Black lawmakers said—but they aren’t taking any chances with voter suppression.
Reps. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) launched a new Congressional Voting Rights Caucus on May 25 to address what they described as an immediate need to overcome the barriers that minority communities face when exercising their right to vote.
The goal of the new caucus is to educate the public on current voter suppression tactics taking place in their home states, districts, and counties, and to inform the public about their rights as voters.
The caucus also plans to advance legislation blocking current and future discrimination which may deny Americans their right to vote, according to Veasey, who held a press conference with nearly a dozen lawmakers and voter rights advocates.
“I know firsthand the work that remains to be done to ensure all Americans have unfettered access to the ballot box,” said Veasey, the chair of the new caucus and also the lead plaintiff in a Texas lawsuit over voter ID laws.
Voter suppression efforts have been cropping up in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby v. Holder that dismantled key provisions of the original Voting Rights Act. Voter ID laws are designed to stop African Americans, Latinos, the elderly, poor and young voters from participating by requiring them to produce specific identification at the polls.
In addition, Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton will need African American votes to make a successful run for the White House, several Black lawmakers said. Read the full story at Afro.com.
