Todd Akin Suggests the Voting Rights Act of 1965 should be overturned
9:48 pm - 08/17/2012
Rep. Todd Akin, the GOP’s candidate for U.S. Senate in Missouri, suggested in an interview that it was time to “look at or overturn” the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Asked directly if seminal federal civil rights legislation that prohibits discriminatory voting procedures needed to be modified or scrapped, Akin said that states — not the federal government — should set voting rules. According to Akin, elections “have historically always been a state thing” and that’s a “good principle.”
Here’s how Fox 2 previewed the story on Twitter:
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits the states from implementing voting procedures that “discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in a language minority group.” The law built on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.”
Akin has a reputation for extreme views on a variety of topics.
Fox 2 is scheduled to release more of their interview with Akin on Sunday.
Update: Akin issues a statement to Fox 2: “Congressman Todd Akin believes that the right to vote is fundamental to our country. He supports laws that protect these rights and did not say that he was opposed to the ‘civil rights and voting rights’ laws. Akin has, and always will, support the right to vote.”
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Here’s how Fox 2 previewed the story on Twitter:
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits the states from implementing voting procedures that “discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in a language minority group.” The law built on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.”
Akin has a reputation for extreme views on a variety of topics.
Fox 2 is scheduled to release more of their interview with Akin on Sunday.
Update: Akin issues a statement to Fox 2: “Congressman Todd Akin believes that the right to vote is fundamental to our country. He supports laws that protect these rights and did not say that he was opposed to the ‘civil rights and voting rights’ laws. Akin has, and always will, support the right to vote.”
source with video
source with slightly different video
source