Hagan Statement on the 49th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act
Press Release
U.S. Senator Kay Hagan released the following statement today on the 49th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act being signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson:
"Just one week after hundreds of civil rights activists marching in Selma were attacked, President Johnson pushed Congress to act on the Voting Rights Act, which he signed into law on this day 49 years ago. Since that time, America has made great strides toward achieving the ideals set forth by our Constitution of expanding voting rights to all citizens regardless of their race, gender or economic status. But nearly half a century later, work still remains to be done to ensure equal access to the ballot box for all North Carolinians.
Instead of attempting to uphold this most fundamental of rights for every citizen and increase participation in the democratic process, lawmakers in our state have erected barriers to the ballot box for students, minorities, the disabled and seniors by passing a regressive law that erased a week of early voting, ended same-day registration, and eliminated the long-standing practice of pre-registering high school students. I am pleased that the Justice Department agreed to review the law at my urging and hope to see it overturned.
North Carolina's proud history includes many pivotal moments in our nation's Civil Rights Movement, and I believe all North Carolinians deserve an equal voice in our democratic process. Too many Americans made the ultimate sacrifice in order to preserve this right for future generations, and restricting opportunities to vote while allowing corporations free reign to influence our elections is simply out of step with North Carolina values."
Last year, Hagan served as co-leader of the Faith and Politics Institute's 13th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama. A bipartisan delegation comprised of Members of Congress and civil rights and religious leaders participated in a three-day journey visiting historical milestones in the civil rights movement, culminating in Selma, where the delegation reenacted the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on "Bloody Sunday" on March 7, 1965.
Source