Can a new EO from Pres. Biden save voting rights?
(The Slice): The White House is in a reset phase on securing voting rights legislation, days after Senate Republicans shattered hopes of passing two key measures. Sources say officials are negotiating around new executive orders. But, the EO approach was already taken on March 7, 2021. That is the day Pres. Biden signed an Executive Order to mark the 56th anniversary of the date when state troopers clashed with peaceful marchers on Alabama's Edmond Pettus Bridge. The White House said the documents was designed "to promote voting access. . .and leverage the resources of the federal government to increase access to voter registration services and information about voting." Since this action failed it seems irrational to pursue a similar path in the face of Republican obstructionism and without full support from Senate Democrats.
The document was ultimately rendered ineffective by the loss of a Supreme Court challenge that was the precursor to the final death of the bills in the Senate this week.
Attorney General Merrick Garland seemed to lead the fight for voting rights before Pres. Joe Biden and the chief Democratic leaders in Congress offered the legislation their full attention. He said in an address on the matter in 2021: "There are many things that are open to debate in America. But the right of all eligible citizens to vote is not one of them. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, the right from which all other rights ultimately flow." Even after "pushing his weight around," he too failed.
It seems pointless to brandish impermanent, unimplementable executive orders before concerned voters when it has already been proven inadequate.
Leading Democrats and Civil Rights leaders say they will continue to fight, but the reality is there has to be a completely different strategy than those used in the past or efforts are destined to fail again.
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