House Majority Whip James Clyburn said on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show” that he plans to get the John Lewis Voting Rights Act on President Joe Biden’s desk by August.
Clyburn explained, “What we’re attempting to do now, we’ve renamed HR-4 in honor of John Lewis. We want to pass that bill. We’re doing exactly what the Supreme Court said we should do — update the formula.”
“In the next six months, as you did before, by August 6, we want to have on President Biden’s desk a new voting rights act in order — named after John Lewis — to restore the efficacy of the 1965 Voting Rights Act,” he added. “I think we can do it.”
On August 6, 1965, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, exactly 56 years before Clyburn promised the new act would be signed.
The executive order coincides with the 56th anniversary of that protest, known as Bloody Sunday.
Biden said, “Today, on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, I am signing an executive order to make it easier for eligible voters to register to vote and improve access to voting.” He added, “Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have that vote counted. If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.”
According to the White House, Biden’s executive order is an “initial step.” The president intends to collaborate with Congress to reinstate the Voting Rights Act, which abolished discriminatory practices such as literacy tests for voting eligibility.
“I also urge Congress to fully restore the Voting Rights Act, named in John Lewis’ honor,” Biden said.
