Democrats Reaffirm Their Commitment to Voting Rights on 42nd Anniversary of Voting Rights Act

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DNC Chairman Howard Dean issued the following joint statement on the 42nd anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act by President Lyndon B. Johnson:

"On the 42nd anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act,
Democrats reaffirm our commitment as a Party that ensures that all eligible
Americans are able to vote and have their vote counted without fear of
intimidation or harassment. The passing of legendary civil rights attorney
Oliver Hill this past weekend, who fought for and won desegregation in
public schools, served as a reminder that the protection and advancement of
the ideals that make our democracy and our country great require that
individuals stand up and show the courage and strength to fight for what's
right. Protecting the spirit of the Voting Rights Act requires such
determination.

"When signing the Voting Rights Act, President Lyndon Johnson said that
the 'right to vote is the basic right without which all others are
meaningless. It gives people, people as individuals, control over their own
destinies.' Yet more than forty years after its signing, the right to vote
is still under assault. Under the Bush Administration, Republicans in the
Justice Department have worked to systematically limit voting rights
through restrictive ID laws and voter intimidation schemes that run counter
to the values our country was founded on.

"As part of our ongoing effort to make it easier for Americans to
exercise their right to vote, Democrats are conducting a nationwide survey
to evaluate the election mechanics in each state. It is our goal to work to
flag and prevent potential problems and election administration issues that
threaten to deprive citizens of their right to register, vote and have
their vote counted. Once these issues are identified, the DNC will work to
resolve potential problems well in advance of the 2008 election. Another
critical part of ensuring voting rights is electing a Democratic President
in 2008. Democrats will ensure that our government works for all Americans,
not just the privileged few."

To read more about the DNC's national survey to protect voting rights,
click here: http://democrats.org/a/2007/08/dnc_announces_u.php

http://www.democrats.org.

[radfringe]

1. good - but I have a question

do they have the votes to reaffirm voting?

[Myrina]

2. aaahahahaaa ... how nice.

... why should they care if we can vote or not, they don't have the cojones to do what we sent them there to do, once they get there ...

:puke:

[bigtree]

3. you can't even begin to address those things from the outside

. . . and the vast majority of Democrats have stood up and done what voters elected them to do. They could use more progressive-minded candidates to join them.

All of that elevation doesn't assure success, rather, we have to build on those efforts now that we've achieved the majority.


Besides, I see the Voting Rights Act as the most important element affecting my own citizenship. Without the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, and the federal enforcement by those laws of the rights afforded under the 14th and 15th Amendments, there would be no guarantee of the citizenship those amendments meant to afford black Americans (in my case) and others who were included in the renewals in the '80s.

Let's not let their importance be diminished by other politics.