Yesterday, Congressman Keith Ellison took the floor at the Democratic National Convention and called out House Republicans for refusing to allow a vote to update the Voting Rights Act. While the Judiciary Chairman stalls the legislation, Speaker Ryan refuses to use his authority to make sure millions of vulnerable voters have critical protections at the ballot box.
Texas’ discriminatory Voter ID law was recently struck down by the courts as was a similar law in Speaker’s Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin. Because of Speaker Ryan’s failure to act, 2016 will be the first presidential election since the passage of the first Voting Rights’ Act during which communities of color will go to the polls without critical protections.
“By refusing to bring an update of the Voting Rights Act to the floor, Speaker Ryan is doing this country a great disservice,” said Jermaine House of DCCC. “While it’s abundantly clear that millions of voters need protections at the ballot box this November, Speaker Ryan appears paralyzed at best by the extreme conservatives in his caucus – or unwilling to act at worst.”