Holder signals review of new state voting laws

Video: Attorney general drawn into fight for voting rights

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   >>> all year long we have been reporting on the roll back of voting rights in america . new ways to make it harder to vote and harder to register to vote. the rolling back of early voting , making voter registration drives all but impossible, blocking you from voting unless you show some kind of new documentation that you never had to show before and that hundreds of thousands of people in some states just don't have. all year long, we have been reporting on these new laws that have been pushed by newly elected republican governors and legislatures and state attorneys general . today for the first time we can report on action on this front from the attorney general. from u.s. attorney general eric holder pushing back tonight against those changes at the state level. pushing back in a speech at the lyndon baines johnson presidential wlibrary in austin, texas. citing the voting rights act of 1965 . it says recent efforts to curtail voting rights in this country, quote, have the potential to reverse the progress that defines us. and has made this nation exceptional as well as an example for all the world. we must be true to the arc of america 's history, which compels us to be more inclusive with regard to the franchise. franchise as in the vote. not as in, like, carl's jr. the attorney general tonight pledging his support for an anti- dirty tricks bill that barack obama sponsored when he was in the united states senate . the attorney general also pledging a thorough, he says fair review, of new restrictive state laws on voting and voter registration . interestingly, also, the attorney general tonight calling on the general public to see the protection of the right to vote in america , quote, as a moral imperative. to speak out, in his words, and raise awareness about what's at stake for voting rights . effectively calling on the citizens of this country to not stand for having our voting rights rolled back. he praised the election results last month in maine where maine , the citizens of maine , recalled a new make it harder to vote law there. the roll back of voting rights in the states this year has been of historic proportions. this move tonight by the attorney general makes it seem like the administration thinks so, too. we'll have more on that ahead plus my interview with vice president biden. a new belt.

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