Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Republican legislatures and governors were trying “to deny people of color, young people, poor people the right to vote.”
Anchor Dana Bash said, “Let’s turn to voting rights. The Senate will vote on Tuesday on a sweeping bill that will most certainly be blocked by Republicans. Senator Joe Manchin is propose ing a narrower plan, which still seems to have a lot in it for Democrats. There are things like a ban on partisan gerrymandering, restoring key parts of the Voting Rights Act. Stacey Abrams says she can absolutely support this proposal. Do you?”
Sanders said, “Dana, you said there seems to be a lot in it for Democrats. That’s not the way I look at it. What we are trying to do is preserve democracy. And what Republican legislatures and governors are doing in the most disgraceful way imaginable is to try to deny people of color, young people, poor people the right to vote — people with disabilities. That is outrageous.”
He continued, “We can disagree on all kinds of issues, taking away the right of people to participate in American democracy as you know acceptable, and Congress must address that in any and every way. Also, in my view, we had a deal with doc money in politics, the power of billionaires to buy election we got to deal with gerrymandering. I will go as far as I possible to can to create a vibrant democracy in America and take on those Republicans who are trying to undermine democracy.”
Sanders added, “I’m open to doing everything I possibly can to protect American democracy. Let me tell you something. This is an enormously serious issue.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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