Obama counter-programs GOP debate with voting rights event

President Obama in Cleveland (EPA/DAVID MAXWELL)

President Obama will conduct a little counter-programming opposite Thursday’s Republican debate: An event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

Obama will participate in a video teleconference with citizens across the country, “underscoring the importance of restoring the landmark law and reaffirming the principle at the heart of our democracy, that all of us are created equal and that each of us deserves a voice in our government,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

Also participating in the event, he said: Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., “along with advocates and state and local officials who’ve worked to strengthen and protect Americans’ right to vote.”

It’s possible presidential politics could come up.

Obama has criticized Republicans — including some 2016 presidential candidates — for backing legislation he says would undercut voting rights, particularly for minorities. Democrats have also noted Republican applause for a 2013 Supreme Court decision striking down aspects of the Voting Rights Act.

Republicans said they support voter identification laws and other measures designed to prevent voter fraud.

Obama’s event is the same day that Republican presidential candidates gather in Cleveland for their first debate.

Thursday also marks exactly 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the original Voting Rights Act into law, Earnest said, describing the proximity of the GOP debate as a coincidence.

Or, as he put it: “I guess one person’s irony might be another person’s serendipity, and maybe there will be an opportunity for Republican candidates to discuss the importance of protecting the right of every eligible American to cast a vote, particularly in an election as consequential as the upcoming presidential election.”