Thursday in Houston, TX, at Southern University, a historically black college, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused several Republican presidential candidates, including former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov, Jeb Bush, of intentionally attempting to disenfranchise voter based on race, age and poverty level.
Clinton said, “We have a responsibility to say clearly and directly what’s really going on in our country. Because what is happening is a sweeping effort to dis-empower and disenfranchise people of color, poor people, and young people from one end of our country to the other.”
She got specific with her charges, saying, “Yet, unfortunately, today there are people who offer themselves to be leaders, whose actions have undercut this fundamental American principle. Here in Texas, former Governor Rick Perry signed a law that a federal court said was actually written with the purpose of discriminating against minority voters. He applauded when the voting rights act was gutted, and said the lost protections were outdated and unnecessary. But Governor Perry is hardly alone in his crusade against voting rights. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker cut back early voting and signed legislation that would make it harder for college students to vote. In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation to extend early voting.
“And in Florida, when Jeb Bush was governor, state authorities conducted a deeply flawed purge of voters before the presidential election in 2000. Thankfully in 2004, a plan to purge even more voters was headed off. So today, Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens from voting. What part of democracy are they afraid of? I believe every citizen has the right to vote. And I believe we should do everything we can to make it easier for every citizen to vote.”
She added, “I call on Republicans at all levels of government, with all manner of ambition, to stop fear mongering about a phantom epidemic of election fraud and start explaining why they’re so scared of letting citizens have their say.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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