Speaking at the Congressional Black Caucus Gala, Holder said voting rights are more than a partisan issue, while Obama recalled the pains many withstood in the civil rights struggle. The right to cast a ballot, she said, is significant, important, and should be protected...

...Recalling the civil rights struggle, Michelle Obama said, "The connection between our laws and our lives isn't always as obvious as it was 50 or 150 years ago. And as a result, it's sometimes easy to assume that the battles in our courts and our legislatures have all been won."...

..."We cannot let anyone discourage us from casting our ballots," Obama said. "We cannot let anyone make us feel unwelcome in the voting booth. It is up to us to make sure that in every election, every voice is heard and every vote is counted."...

...Holder said he pledged to "not allow the arc of American history, which has always been about expanding the electorate, to be halted.

"Following in the tradition of Democratic and Republican attorneys general, we will not stand by and allow the voting rights of American citizens to be impinged by specious arguments and by those who seek naked political advantage," he continued. "This is not a political issue."

Rather, Holder said, "This is an American issue and goes to the heart of who we say we are as a nation. The right to vote will be protected."

Fourteen states have restrictions currently in effect which “have the potential to impact the 2012 election,” according to a review of laws and executive orders by The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. Its September 7 analysis said additional laws are pending in six states.

Some Republicans have pressured Holder to stop Justice Department investigations and lawsuits into voting-related practices in several states.