- Campaign Communications « Videos and Ads—Pre-Campaign
- «
Democratic National Committee video
Democratic National Committee video
"Vice President Biden: 'Stand Up' for Voting Rights" +
3:33 video from April 7, 2014.
[Music throughout]
Vice President Biden:
Hi,
folks,
this
is Joe Biden.
I've got to tell you if someone had said to me ten years ago that
I'd have to make a pitch for protecting voting rights today, I would
have said you've got to be kidding.
You know Dr. King said it best from the Selma jail cell when he was
arrested leading a march trying to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
he said voting is the foundation stone for political action. It
was such a hard fight in '65 but President Johnson got the Voting
Rights Act passed.
And as time went on, the wisdom of Dr. King and the necessity of
protecting voting rights became widely accepted in both political
parties.
As a young Senator in 1975, one of my first important votes was to
re-authorize the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Then in 1982, when it came up for re-authorization again even Strom
Thurmond of South Carolina voted for it. And that same year,
President Reagan called voting rights, quote, the crown jewel of
American liberties, and he pledged, no barrier will come between our
citizens and the voting booth.
And as recently as 2006 the Voting Rights Act was re-authorized 98
to 0 in the Senate and 390 to 33 in the House of Representatives.
I thought at that time the only debate we'd be having now would be how
to continue to expand the voting franchise.
But last year when the Supreme Court cut the heart out of the Voting
Rights Act it opened up the floodgates for voter suppression, voter
suppression efforts nationwide. This year alone there are almost
50 restrictive voting rights bills under consideration
nationwide. At least 11 states have introduced legislation either
requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls or make existing photo
ID laws more restrictive.
Laws like the one in North Carolina which imposed new photo ID
requirements, shortened early voting and eliminated same-day
registration for early voting. And in Texas a voter ID law which
lets you show your permit for a concealed handgun license but not your
student ID card. Laws like the ones in Ohio and Wisconsin which
shortened early voting period, limited the time the polls are open, cut
evening hours, and eliminated weekend early voting. That means
people can't vote after church; it means hard working Americans have to
take time off from work to be able to vote.
We have to stand up. It's time to stand up and to fight
back. That's why the Democratic National Committee's new Voter
Expansion Project is training staff and volunteers to protect the right
to vote all across this nation. And it's simple. We need
your help. Stand up with us.
So please go to Democrats.org/ExpandTheVote. Add your name to
the long list of Americans who are standing up and refusing to allow
this most basic civil right to be whittled away for any eligible
voter. And it's happening now all across the nation. Folks
this is a fight we have to make again, but it's a fight we can win
again, and we need your help.
I'm proud to be in this fight with you. Thank you for what
your about to do and may God protect our troops.
Notes: