TBT: Rep. John Lewis on voter suppression

Looking back... Civil rights activist John Lewis had a powerful message about voter suppression.

Transcript

00:00Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, some people had to count the number of bubbles

00:07in a bar of soap, the number of jelly beans in a jar. And all across America today, when

00:13people go out to attempt to vote, they stand in long, immovable lines. That's not right.

00:23It's not fair, and it's not just. We can do better, and we must do better. We have a moral

00:30obligation, a mission, and a mandate to empower all of the American people, not just a select

00:37few. We must do what is right, what is fair, and what is just. Today our democracy is under

00:47attack by forces within and forces abroad. We need to fix it, and fix it now.

01:17Some of you have heard me say that the right to vote is precious, almost sacred. In my hearts of

01:32hearts, I believe that we should make it simple and convenient for all of our citizens to be part

01:39of the democratic process. It should not matter whether you're black or white, Latino, Asian

01:46American, or Native American.