President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Sunday directing the federal government to expand voter registration and election information access. Biden’s bill was signed on the 56th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery marches for civil and voting rights. The late House Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), who served with Biden in Congress, was present for the marches.
“Every eligible voter should be able to vote and have that vote counted,” said Biden in a virtual address on Sunday. “If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let the people vote.”
Biden’s order comes just days after the House of Representatives passed the progressive voting rights bill H.R. 1, which hopes to increase access to early voting and same-day registration. H.R. 1 also requires independent committees to lead post-Census redistricting in the states to combat gerrymandering.
“This is a landmark piece of legislation that is urgently needed to protect the right to vote, the integrity of our elections, and to repair and strengthen our democracy. I hope the Senate does its work so that I can sign it into law,” Biden said about H.R. 1 during his virtual address.
Biden gave his virtual address during the Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast. Biden talked about Lewis, who during the Bloody Sunday march had his skull fractured by police. “A few days before he passed, Jill and I spoke with John, Congressman Lewis,” Biden said. “But instead of answering our concerns about him, ‘how are you doing, John,’ he asked us to stay focused on the work left undone to heal and to unite this nation around what it means to be an American.”
Biden closed his prerecorded remarks saying, “Let’s remember all those who came before us as a bridge to our history so we do not forget its pain, and as a bridge to our future so we never lose our hope.”
