• President addresses racial issues for second time in two days • Republicans accused of leading moves to curb voting

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

President Barack Obama on Friday made his second speech on race issues in two days, telling the Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network conference in New York that the Republican party was threatening voting rights more than at any time since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.



On Thursday, Obama spoke at the Lyndon B Johnson presidential library in Austin, Texas, to mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Civil Rights Act.

In New York, Obama said: “The stark, simple truth is this: the right to vote is threatened today in a way that it has not been since the Voting Rights Act became law nearly five decades ago.”

He did not announce any specific initiatives on the subject. On Saturday, his weekly presidential address concentrated on the need to ensure equal pay. In the Republicans' weekly address, Cathy McMorris Rodgers – a congresswoman from Washington state – said the economy under Obama is hurting women.

In June last year, the supreme court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act, which was passed in 1965 to protect the democratic rights of minorities, on the grounds that racial equality had improved sufficiently to render such protection unnecessary.

The section of the act that was thrown out required all or parts of 15 states with a history of discrimination in voting, mainly in the south, to get federal approval before changing their election laws.

The court's majority (5-4) decision said: ““Nearly 50 years later, things have changed dramatically. Largely because of the Voting Rights Act, voter turnout and registration rates in covered jurisdictions now approach parity.

“Blatantly discriminatory evasions of federal decrees are rare and minority candidates hold office at unprecedented levels.”

In 2013 seven states passed voter restrictions, ranging from reductions in early voting to identification requirements, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. North Carolina adopted a photo ID requirement, eliminated registrations on election day and reduced the number of early voting days. Overall, 34 states have passed laws requiring voters to show some form of ID.

Critics of such laws say they intentionally discriminate against minorities, who are less likely to have the required ID and are more likely to vote early – and are also more likely to vote Democrat. Republicans and proponents of such laws say they are necessary to counter electoral fraud.

On Friday, speaking to an audience of 1,600 at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, Obama said the effort to institute such laws "has not been led by both parties. It's been led by the Republican party".

He added: "What kind of political platform is that? Why would you make that a part of your agenda, preventing people from voting?"

A spokeswoman for Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a state whose voting laws are being challenged by the Obama administration, said the supreme court had ruled that voter identification laws are constitutional.

"Protecting the integrity of the voting process is something that benefits everyone; partisan politics do not," the spokeswoman, Megan Mitchell, said.

The Obama administration has also challenged the North Carolina election law, which will take effect for the 2016 elections.

In Austin on Thursday, marking the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Obama said “race still colours our political debates”.

On Wednesday, a CBS News poll found that more than three in four Americans say there has been progress in getting rid of racial discrimination. Those views were split racially, with whites much more likely than African Americans to think real progress has been achieved.

The Associated Press contributed to this report