He urged Congress to pass a new version of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Former President Barack Obama used his eulogy at the funeral of Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) to call for an end to the Senate filibuster to pass Democrats’ new legislation on voting reform.
Obama said that Republicans had imitated Jim Crow-era restrictions on voting rights, which Lewis marched against, by passing state voter ID laws and other measures that conservatives argue prevent voter fraud.
He urged Congress to pass a new version of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“You want to honor John? Let’s honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for,” Obama said, to applause.
Democrats have pushed for a new version of the law, after the Supreme Court invalidated part of it in 2013, saying that it was outdated.
The new version of the law, which has been renamed for Lewis, would restore federal supervision of state efforts to pass new election reforms.
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