Obama calls for restoration of Voting Rights Act

Gregory Korte | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Obama to citizens: 'Seize the power you have' by voting President Obama is calling on Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act. He is also urging citizens to do their part by registering to vote and participating in the democratic process.

WASHINGTON — President Obama marked the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act on Thursday by calling on Congress to update the law and urging people to register to vote.

"There are people of goodwill on both sides of the aisle who are willing to do it, but it keeps slipping as a priority," Obama said. "This has to be a priority. If this isn't working, nothing's working."

The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the act two years ago, ruling that jurisdictions with a history of discrimination are no longer required to have voting changes preapproved by the Justice Department.

Obama pointed to battles at the state and local level, where voting rights groups challenge voter identification laws. Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled that a Texas law is discriminatory and violates the act.

"There are almost no instances of people going to vote in someone else's name. It turns out it's just not a common crime," Obama said. He urged states to restore early voting days that have been rolled back over the years.

He said voters have to do their part, and Americans need to focus not only on the laws but also on the "habits of citizenship." He said he would proclaim Sept. 22 National Voter Registration Day.

Obama discussed the landmark voting law at a national teleconference in the afternoon with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and voting rights advocates.

In a civil rights speech in Selma, Ala., in March, Obama called the Voting Rights Act "one of the crowning achievements of our democracy." But he said the law "stands weakened, its future subject to political rancor."