Powell: I’m ‘Troubled’ by States’ Efforts to Toughen Voter ID Laws

‘If we hadn’t made progress, [Obama] wouldn’t be standing there’

POWELL: “We’ve made enormous progress. If we hadn’t made progress, he wouldn’t have been standing there, Eric Holder wouldn’t have been with him and I wouldn’t be here right now. Things opened up. Law was changed and the barriers to advancement went away. But we still now have hurdles that we have to get over. I’m troubled by a number of things about — with respect to some of the states trying to restrict voting by voter ID laws.

Those are hurdles that we can get over. And what I say to my friends in the African-American community, is whatever those states do, you meet the standards and then you make sure you register. You make sure you vote. You make sure you vote for the people who tried to put these barriers, these hurdles in your way and then you vote them out. But ultimately, it’s going to be the people who change this system and not just politicians or who the next president is.

We, the people, have the responsibility to make sure that all the people have an opportunity for a full and successful life in this wonderful country of ours.”

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