United States President Joe Biden on Sunday, March 7 signed an executive order to facilitate access to the vote for Americans in commemoration of the 56th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday", when a march in defense of the suffrage of African Americans had been violently suppressed by police in Selma, Alabama.
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The move comes as several local parliaments where Republicans are in the majority attempt to restrict access to the vote in response to Donald Trump's presidential defeat on November 3.
The billionaire assures, without proof, that the ballot was marred by fraud.
Local legislative proposals aim in particular to limit the population eligible for postal voting or to facilitate the cancellation of a greater number of ballots considered to be non-compliant.
Every voter should be able to vote and have their vote counted.
If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide.
Let people vote.
"
Joe biden
"Today, the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, I am signing an executive order to make it easier for voters to register to vote, and improve access to the vote,"
Joe Biden said in a pre-recorded speech, transmitted by the White House.
"Every voter should be able to vote and have their vote taken into account,"
said the head of state.
“If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide.
Let people vote. ”
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives, where Democrats are in the majority, passed a bill aimed at tackling obstacles to voting in the country.
The text, supported by Joe Biden, must now go to the Senate (50 Democrats against 50 Republicans) where its future is very uncertain.
Read also: Is the American electoral system harmful to democracy?
Among other things, the President's decree calls for the improvement or modernization of federal websites providing information on elections and voting.
In particular, he wants to facilitate the voting of disabled or imprisoned people.
But it does not include concrete and immediate measures and may have only a limited effect on attempts to restrict access to the vote.
"The president does not have the executive authority to prevent a state from making these kinds of decisions,"
a Biden administration official said in a briefing on Saturday.
On March 7, 1965, hundreds of peaceful demonstrators were violently suppressed by the police in Selma.
A few months later, in August, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, which removed tests and taxes to become a voter.
What remains of
"Selma's march is that although nothing can prevent a free people from exercising their most sacred power as citizens, some are doing everything possible to take that power away from them,"
said Joe Biden.
According to the president,
"elected officials in 43 states have already introduced more than 250 bills to make it harder for Americans to vote
.
"
"We cannot let them succeed
.
"