Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has opened an important door for himself and his fellow Republicans by calling on the party to end its national campaign for tougher voter identification laws, Common Cause said today.

Now Paul should step through that door by signing on as a co-sponsor of the Voting Rights Amendment Act and working for its passage this year.

“To quote Sen. Paul, Republicans have ‘gone completely crazy over this voter ID thing,'” said Common Cause President Miles Rapoport. “His call for the party to reconsider its support for voter ID restrictions is an important and encouraging statement. It will mean a lot more if it is backed up with actions to preserve and strengthen voting rights.

“The Voting Rights Amendment Act, which already has a number of Republican co-sponsors, would be a good place to start,” Rapoport added. “We must put in place strong, flexible protections that work together to ensure an effective response to racial discrimination all over the country. These protections are needed in the wake of last summer’s Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder.”

Rapoport praised Paul’s acknowledgement that Republican support for tougher voter ID laws and other restrictions on voting rights has offended minority voters. He encouraged the senator to make his voice heard at the state level.

“The limits on early voting and voting by mail, along with reduced registration opportunities, the elimination of same-day registration, and unreasonable voter ID restrictions being championed by many Republicans are serious attacks on voting rights and access,””he said.

“Sen. Paul could have significant influence in rolling back these laws and that would be a tangible accomplishment,” Rapoport added.

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코먼 코즈(Common Cause)는 미국의 민주주의의 핵심 가치를 회복하고, 대중의 이익을 위해 일하는 개방적이고 정직하며 책임감 있는 정부를 재창조하고, 일반인이 자신의 의견을 표명할 수 있는 힘을 실어주는 데 전념하는 비당파적 대중 조직입니다.