The following is a statement from Elisabeth MacNamara, President of the League of Women Voters of the U.S.:
On Wednesday, February 27, the Supreme Court will review Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, a case that questions the constitutionality of Section 5 the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965, the landmark legislation that outlawed discriminatory voting practices.
EDITORIAL NOTE: This blog post was originally published on the Huffington Post.
President's Address Sets "Strong Course for Nation" on Climate, Immigration and Gun Safety
Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Elisabeth MacNamara, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States: “The President tonight set a strong course for the nation in committing to common sense steps to limit gun violence through background checks, limits on high-capacity magazines and taking weapons of war off our streets.
On Wednesday, February 27th, the Supreme Court will review Shelby County, Alabama v.
"Voting is the foundation stone for political action.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Monday, Americans across the country will celebrate two major national events: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) and the 57th U.S. Presidential Inauguration.
Voting rights have been under attack in state legislatures across the country for more than a decade and there are no signs of it letting up in 2013. Indeed 2013 could be a year that sets back voting rights more than all of the attacks of the past decade combined.
Only a few short weeks have passed since Election Day, but it already feels like a lifetime ago. No longer are voters in swing states subjected to nonstop political ads, and the evening news is once again covering a host of national and international issues instead of just wall-to-wall coverage of the presidential campaign. But, Election Day was as much a starting line as it was an end point. Now is the time to reflect back on the 2012 election and look toward what’s to come in 2013.
With Thanksgiving just a week away and the movie “Lincoln” opening in theaters tomorrow, we might do well to remember that the first Thanksgiving was proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln at a time when our country was embroiled in civil war over whether all Americans were really created equal.
