Shame on you Republican Party.

That’s what President Obama told the attendees of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network conference earlier this week, and he said many on the Right are trying to stop people from voting, and they’re turning America’s clock backwards.

“The right to vote is threatened today in a way that it has not been since the Voting Rights Act became law nearly five decades ago,” said the President. “This recent effort to restrict the vote has not been led by both parties, it’s been led by the Republican Party.”

In addition, the President said the strategy of getting people not to vote, so they can increase the chances of Republican candidates winning, isn’t the best game plan, and it shows just how desperate and worried some are about Democrats perpetually winning elections.

He said it’s a strategy of weakness, not strength, and keeping people from voting is truly hurting the country.

“If your strategy depends on having fewer people showing up to vote, that’s not a sign of strength,” said the President. “That’s a sign of weakness. And not only is ultimately bad politics, ultimately it is bad for the country.”

Some on the Right have accused people of committing voter’s fraud by either not being legal American citizens, not having the proper identification to vote, or voting more than once, and some have claimed that’s it’s difficult for some–especially low income folks–to secure proper ID due to the associated costs.

And those costs are too much for more than half of U.S. citizens, said President Obama.

“About 60% of Americans don’t have a passport,” he noted. “Just because you don’t have the money to travel abroad doesn’t mean you shouldn’t vote at home.”

President Obama even spoke about his own legal documents and said nobody should question his citizenship, but if they do, they can always go online.

“Just to be clear I know where my birth certificate is,” he said playfully. “I think it’s still up on a website somewhere. Do you remember that?”

Image via Wikimedia Commons