President Joe Biden Calls for New Voting Protections on 58th Anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ March in Selma, Alabama

President Joe Biden used the 58th anniversary of the civil rights movement’s seminal moment, the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama, to call for new voting protections. Speaking near the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where a group of civil rights marchers were beaten by White state troopers in 1965, Biden said, “The right to vote, to have your vote counted is the threshold of democracy and liberty.”

Since the 2020 election, a wave of states has passed dozens of anti-voting laws fueled by the false claims of voter fraud. Biden has been unable to push enhanced voting protections through Congress and a conservative Supreme Court has undermined a landmark voting law.

The president noted that the right to vote is still under attack, saying, “This fundamental right remains under assault.” He pointed to the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act over the years as a major factor in the erosion of voting rights.

Biden also highlighted the need for a new voting rights act to protect against discrimination, saying, “We must pass a new Voting Rights Act to protect against discrimination in voting.” He also called for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The president’s remarks in Selma serve as a reminder of the importance of protecting the right to vote, a cornerstone of democracy. As Biden said, “The right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society.”