Joe Biden meets experts on voting rights

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden met advisers and experts on voting rights after he vowed to further address the issue in the wake of a Democratic defeat in the Senate on a major bid for related reforms, according to a White House readout.

The group on Tuesday "discussed anti-voter legislation that has been proposed or recently passed by state legislatures, legislation pending before Congress, and recent actions taken by the Department of Justice to protect the right to vote", Xinhua news agency quoted the readout as saying

"The President and his staff highlighted ways that the Administration will continue working with Congress to pass critical legislation and ramp up engagement with the American people on voting rights," the White House said.

"The President also reiterated his unwavering determination to win the fight to protect the sacred right to vote in free and fair elections."

Hyper partisanship has become a stumbling block for passing voting rights reform legislation in Congress, a Democratic priority in light of successive efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results.

Legislation passed in several Republican-leaning states in recent months to limit mail-in voting made Democrats more adamant that they must act to counter what they believed to be Republican efforts to deprive minorities of ballot access.

US senators voted 50-50, strictly along party lines, last week to block the advancement of the For the People Act, a Democratic-sponsored bill aimed at sweeping reforms to voting rights. (IANS)

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