In SOTU, President Obama Says We Need to Fix Voting Rights

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This past November, voters in many states and localities faced a variety of obstacles to casting their votes. Some had to stand in line for many hours—a serious burden on all, and for some of these voters, the reason they were in the end unable to cast their ballot. Others, including notably our overseas military, failed to receive absentee ballots in time to cast them. Still others had to wait because of inaccurate voter lists, too few or unreliable machines, or physical barriers. That is not how our democracy is supposed to work. We need to make sure that our democracy remains the model for and envy of the world by ensuring that every eligible American voter has easy access to voting and that no American voter will ever again have to wait seven hours in line to vote. The President will enlist experienced experts from both political parties to co-lead a commission to address the obstacles to efficient voting.