Vice President Kamala Harris claims the freedom to vote is “under assault.”
Harris delivered a speech remotely from Washington to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, urging lawmakers to fight for the freedom to vote.
“Today, our freedom to vote is under assault. In Georgia and across our nation, anti-voter laws are being passed that could make it more difficult for as many as 55 million Americans to vote,” Harris said.
She continued, “And the proponents of these laws are not only putting in place obstacles to the ballot box. They are also working to interfere with our elections to get the outcomes they want and to discredit those they do not. That is not how democracies work.”
Harris suggested, “This assault on our freedom to vote will be felt by every American in every community in every political party.”
Check out her remarks below:
.@VP Kamala Harris: "Today, our freedom to vote is under assault. In Georgia and across our nation, anti-voter laws are being passed that could make it more difficult for as many as 55 million Americans to vote. […] That is not how democracies work." pic.twitter.com/bnhHkPqqRh
— The Hill (@thehill) January 17, 2022
In June 2021, Biden tapped Harris to lead the charge on voting rights legislation.
Still, she did not join President Joe Biden when he met with Senate Democrats to push voting rights legislation last week, as IJR reported.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Harris’ absence.
“The vice president has been selling the bill across the country,” she said. “Obviously delivering speeches and engaging and meeting with activists. She was also working the phones over the last couple days and has played a pivotal role, no question, and will continue to moving forward.”
During an interview with NBC News’ Craig Melvin, Harris told him she will not “absolve the 50 Republicans in the United States Senate from responsibility for upholding one of the most basic and important tenets of our democracy, which is free and fair elections and access to the ballot for all eligible voters.”
The two voting rights bills, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, are scheduled for Senate consideration on Tuesday.