Joe Biden’s Commitment to Defending and Expanding Voting Rights Is Murky at Best

Almost all of the major Democratic candidates have released comprehensive platforms to restore and expand voting rights. Joe Biden has not.

Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Campaigns In Texas Ahead Of Super Tuesday

Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event on Monday in Dallas, Texas. (Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)


Joe Biden won the South Carolina primary and hopes to have revitalized his campaign. As we move to Super Tuesday and beyond, the media must push him on a subject far too many have ignored: voting rights.

In a political climate plagued by voter suppression and extreme partisan gerrymandering, it is imperative that every Democratic presidential candidate pledge to pursue policies that strengthen our democracy. If the past decade has revealed anything, combatting right-wing politics requires fair elections and diverse voter turnout. Many Democrats have risen to the challenge. Almost all of the remaining major candidates have released comprehensive democracy platforms. Their plans, though varying in strength, include concrete policies to end gerrymandering and empower voters.

Joe Biden, however, stands alone. Though he has provided a detailed campaign finance reform plan — which, encouragingly, includes public financing of elections — his website is scandalously vague on the topic of the franchise.

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