Much of gains in voting rights won during activist 60’s protest have waned since Civil Rights Era

Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

In the PBS Newshour video above, “Chief Washington Correspondent for CNBC and political writer for the New York Times John Harwood joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how voting rights have changed the political landscape since the first march on Selma in 1965.” From the Associated Press:

“President Barack Obama says voter ID laws can be a barrier to voting, and the government needs a revitalized Voting Rights Act to police ballot box discrimination. Obama tells CBS’ “Sunday Morning” that the Justice Department must have the right tools to go after a place that’s discriminating against certain voters and fix the problem.

The president also is troubled by photo ID requirements. He says that in some places, getting a photo ID can cost up to $150 – and that can be a burden for someone who’s on a fixed income and not driving anymore and doesn’t have a license. A Supreme Court ruling in 2013 eliminated the Justice Department’s ability under the Voting Rights Act to identify and stop potentially discriminatory voting laws before they took effect.”