Martin Luther King’s family and civil rights advocates urged lawmakers to ‘protect our voting rights or be an enabler of voter suppression’
People hold a sign reading ‘Deliver for voting rights’ during a march in Washington DC on 17 January.People hold a sign reading ‘Deliver for voting rights’ during a march in Washington DC on 17 January.Last modified on Mon 17 Jan 2022 20.21 GMT
“The proponents of these laws are not only putting in place obstacles to the ballot box; they are also working to interfere in our elections, to get the outcomes they want and discredit those they do not. That is not how democracy works,” Harris added. “Senators now face one of the most existential choices of their tenure: protect our voting rights or go down in history as an enabler of voter suppression,” heIn a speech at King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, King’s youngest daughter, Bernice King emphasized the urgency of expanding voting rights.
Martin Luther King III speaks during a news conference at Union Station in Washington DC on 17 January.Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia echoed King’s sentiments, saying, “Right now … we got voter suppression bills having been passed in 19 states, introduced in 49 states and governors and members of Congress are channeling all states’ rights, arguments to fight against voting rights.