Marcia Fudge stands up for voting rights — again — and again and again

http://fudge.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=231&parentid=8&sectiontree=8,...

Today Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (Oh-11) held a briefing with several of her colleagues — John Conyers of Michigan, John Lewis of Georgia and Democratic whip Steny Hoyer — to address the subject of the swarm of bills attacking voting rights that are infesting state legislatures across the country.

The briefing, titled "The Evolution of Voting Rights in America: The Struggle Continues," was held in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus in recognition of Black History Month. But voter suppression is not just a black issue. (Hoyer is white, as are Fudge's colleagues from Ohio Tim Ryan, Betty Sutton, and Marcy Kaptur, who have joined her for previous hearings on the topic). Many of the bills create challenges to voting for students, the elderly, and poor people in general.

Fudge said,

"The disenfranchisement of eligible voters is one of the most pressing issues facing our nation. Changing voting laws to exclude a certain segment of the population is wrong and must not be tolerated. Proponents of suppressive laws say that fraud and cost drive the need for election reforms, but by looking at the kinds of reforms proposed, it is easy to tell the laws have only one true purpose: to suppress predetermined segments of the population. Limiting early voting periods, changing registration processes, eliminating Sunday voting, and limiting vote by mail will make it more difficult for young people, minorities, the disabled, seniors, and individuals with past criminal convictions to exercise their right to vote.

There's little to add to that. We need to keep a sharp eye on the machinations the legislature is threatening with "repeal and replace" of HB 194. When you have a roster full of extremist candidates spouting views that are shared by or benefit only a tiny minority, you need to to keep people unlikely to agree with you away from the polls. And that is un-American.

Marcia Fudge is a true heroine for Ohio — and for voters across the country — in keeping up the pressure on this issue.