Obama: Voter ID laws can be barrier to the ballot box

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President Barack Obama hugs Rev. Leodis Strong, Minister of Brown Chapel AME, after he said a closing prayer on Saturday, while former President George W. Bush talks with Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., by the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” a landmark event of the civil rights movement. | AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

WASHINGTON  — President Barack Obama says voter ID laws can be a barrier to voting, and the government needs a revitalized Voting Rights Act to police ballot box discrimination.

Obama tells CBS’ “Sunday Morning” that the Justice Department must have the right tools to go after a place that’s discriminating against certain voters and fix the problem.

RELATED: Bloody Sunday anniversary: Selma honors Lyndon Johnson Obama marks Selma civil rights milestone

The president also is troubled by photo ID requirements. He says that in some places, getting a photo ID can cost up to $150 — and that can be a burden for someone who’s on a fixed income and not driving anymore and doesn’t have a license.

A Supreme Court ruling in 2013 eliminated the Justice Department’s ability under the Voting Rights Act to identify and stop potentially discriminatory voting laws before they took effect.

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