Vice President Joe Biden lashed out at the implementation of voting rights requirements on Tuesday and predicted the attempted restrictions would only increase the number of those determined to vote,
Politico reports.
“To me it is the most immoral, callous thing that can be done, the idea of making it more difficult to vote,” Biden said at the annual gala dinner of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a minority-focused public policy organization.
The vice president cited data indicating that in 2011 and 2012, at least 180 bills in 41 states were introduced that stiffened voting requirements.
“If there’s one thing people who want to restrict the vote didn’t understand, they didn’t understand what it means when you tell someone, ‘I’m going to make it difficult for you to vote,’” Biden said, apparently referring to Republicans.
“It means, and I was certain and Barack and I talked about it, you did too, that it guaranteed people would show.
The more they attempt to restrict the right of minorities, the greater the determination and the stronger the will to turn out, and that’s exactly what everyone saw in 2012.”
Critics of voting rights requirements believe such steps overwhelmingly target poor and minority voters whom often vote Democratic.
“If they keep this up you can be assured, minorities of all stripes will never vote for anyone who makes it more difficult for them to exercise right to vote,” Biden said.
He said that his granddaughter has asked, “What are they afraid of?”
“They’re afraid of ‘how,’ quote, these folks will vote,” Biden said.
“That’s what they’re afraid of.”
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.