President Joe Biden will defer to Congress on new voting rights legislation after saying it would be "one of the first things" he did after taking office.
In introducing four new executive orders focused on racial equality, White House Domestic Policy Council chief Susan Rice said Tuesday that Biden would not be issuing an executive order for voting rights. Instead, the White House would, for now, wait for Congress to present new legislation, per the Washington Examiner.
A provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the nation's landmark ballot access legislation, was struck down by a 2013 Supreme Court ruling. That decision allowed nine states, mostly in the South, to change their election laws without federal oversight.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore the original Voting Rights Act. The bill would prevent state legislatures from unilaterally making changes to voting procedures, and also would require clearance from the Justice Department for changes to voting rules.
During last year's campaign, Biden said he would make voting rights a priority once in office if Congress failed to support the bill.
"One thing the Senate and the president can do right away is pass, right away, pass the bill to restore the Voting Rights Act," Biden said in July.
House Democrats renamed the measure for civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis following his death last summer. After passing in the House in December, a companion bill stalled in the Senate.
During a White House event Tuesday when he signed the four executive orders, Biden again urged lawmakers to pass voting rights legislation.
"We need to restore and expand the Voting Rights Act, named after our dear friend John Lewis," he said, "and continue to fight back against laws that many states are engaged in to suppress the right to vote, while expanding access to the ballot box for all eligible voters."
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