In his Philadelphia speech, Biden spoke passionately about protecting voting rights but urgent action is needed

President Joe Biden delivered a passionate speech on protecting voting rights at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

“We’re facing the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War,’ said Biden in a speech at the center. “That’s not hyperbole _ since the Civil War.”

The site and timing of the president’s speech were specifically chosen.

The National Constitution Center located in historic Philadelphia is the first-ever museum devoted to the Constitution of the United States. The center is located just blocks from the Liberty Bell and steps from Independence Hall, where the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were signed.

The center’s 525 Arch Street address was specifically chosen because May 25 (5/25) is the date that the Constitutional Convention began in Philadelphia in 1787.

Despite its rich history as the birthplace of American democracy, Philadelphia, a heavily Democratic city, was baselessly attacked and accused of harboring voter fraud by former President Donald Trump during the 2020 campaign saying, “Bad things happen in Philadelphia.”

Philadelphia is also the largest city in Pennsylvania one of the battleground states targeted by Trump's baseless conspiracy theories that attribute his loss to Biden in last year’s election to widespread election fraud.

Biden’s speech in Philadelphia, also comes after a Republican state lawmaker and fervent Trump ally seeks to launch what he calls a “forensic investigation” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election, similar to what is happening in Arizona. 

Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a likely Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate, sent letters recently to officials in Philadelphia, York and Tioga Counties seeking election-related equipment and materials “needed to conduct a forensic investigation” of the 2020 election and the 2021 primary.

“We’re looking at three counties, and if sufficient evidence comes up with shenanigans and corruption or fraud, then we’ll have a second round with additional counties,” he said on the far-right, pro-Trump cable network OAN.

Mastriano warns in his letter that the Senate committee he heads may issue subpoenas if counties don’t respond by July 31 with a plan to comply.

In response, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, correctly called Mastriano’s action a “sham,” and waste of taxpayers’ money.

Biden has been under pressure by Democrats and civil rights leaders for not doing more as Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania, Texas, Georgia and across the country pass laws in states they control to change the election process and make it more difficult to vote.

In addition to new laws restricting voting, the Supreme Court recently upheld voting limits in Arizona that a lower court had found discriminatory under the federal Voting Rights Act.

In his Philadelphia speech, Biden sought to lay out the “moral case” for voting rights as Texas Democrats took dramatic action to halt their state's latest effort in a nationwide Republican push to tighten ballot restrictions.

The day before Biden’s speech, Texas Democrats left their state for Washington, D.C. and said they were ready to remain there just days before the GOP-controlled Texas House of Representatives was expected to approve sweeping new voting restrictions.

Texas Democrats decamped for Washington in an effort to deny their GOP-controlled Legislature the necessary quorum to pass the bill placing new restrictions on voting in the state.

The lawmakers said they were prepared to stay in Washington — out of the reach of Texas law enforcement — until a special legislative session concludes early next month.

Their action marks a dramatic new showdown over voting in America. 

But passionate speeches and Democratic lawmakers fleeing their home state to delay a vote is no match for determined Republican lawmakers committed to voter suppression and election subversion.

Biden and Democratic lawmakers must vigorously oppose voter suppression efforts by passing comprehensive federal laws to protect voting rights even if it means ending the filibuster that Republicans have historically used to block civil rights legislation and reforms.

Also, in the 2022 midterm elections and beyond, Democratic-leaning voters targeted for voter suppression must mobilize like never before and turnout in huge numbers.

Irv Randolph is an award-winning journalist. You can follow him on Twitter @IrvRandolph and on therandolphreport.substack.com