House approves extending Voting Rights Act

WASHINGTON - The House voted Thursday to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act, by a vote of 390-33.

By a vote of 288-134 the House overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that would have shortened the renewal from 25 years to a decade.

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., displayed photos of civil rights activists, including himself, who were beaten by Alabama state troopers in 1965 as they marched from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights.

"I have a concussion. I almost died. I gave blood; some of my colleagues gave their very lives," Lewis shouted from the House floor, while the Rev. Jesse Jackson, another veteran of the civil rights movement, looked on from the gallery.

"Yes, we've made some progress; we have come a distance," Lewis added. "The sad truth is, discrimination still exists. That's why we still need the Voting Rights Act and we must not go back to the dark past."