Vice President Kamala Harris is leading the Biden administration’s response to the surge of Republican-led proposals on voting and election laws that many have criticized as voter suppression efforts. During Harris’s visit to Detroit, Michigan this week, she stressed the importance of fighting for voting rights.
Harris visited Detroit this week, marking her first trip to the state since getting elected vice president. Harris spoke at a roundtable discussion at the TCF Center while reiterating the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Harris was seated next to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who has also criticized the Republican proposals that would disproportionately affect voters and communities of color.
Last week, Harris announced a $25 million investment of the Democratic National Committee’s campaign to bolster voter registration efforts while increasing protections from GOP-led efforts to make voting more restrictive. The proposals come in the wake of the bitter 2020 elections, where now-former President Donald Trump claimed election fraud as the reason for his defeat. Other states with Republican-led legislatures are also looking to pass proposals that would make voting more restrictive under the guise of ensuring election integrity.
“I do believe that fighting for the right to vote is as American as apple pie. It is so fundamental to fighting for the principles of our democracy,” said Harris during her visit.
Shortly before leaving, Harris told the reporters at the airport that she wanted to remind the public that “they are at risk of having legislative bodies impede their right to vote if we don’t stand up and understand what’s happening and be more engaged.”
Harris also weighed in on the recent move by Texas state Democratic lawmakers, who walked out during a special session for the passage of a restrictive voting bill drafted by their Republicans. Their walkout denied the GOP lawmakers in the state a quorum, effectively obstructing the proposal’s passage.
Harris praised their efforts and shared that she met with them in Washington DC Tuesday, calling their walkout courageous and patriotic.
“I know what you have done comes with great sacrifice, both personal and political, and you are doing this in support and defense of some of our nation’s highest ideals,” said Harris. “Defending the right of the American people to vote is as American as apple pie.”