A political battle is raging in the United States over voting rights. Republicans across the U-S have put challenges and restrictions in place which Democrats say will suppress voting especially for minorities.

Democrats are fighting back. President Biden wants to pass sweeping voting rights reforms, which he says will make it easier for everyone to vote. The issue has sparked a fierce debate over the future of democracy. The Reverend Jesse Jackson is a veteran of the civil rights movement and a champion of minority rights. I asked him for his views on this critical issue and where he thinks the United States is headed.

Joining the discussion:

• Douglass Sloan is a principal and senior analyst at the National Capitol Strategy Group.
• Melik Abdul is a political analyst, writer, and Republican strategist. 
• Eleanor Clift is a political columnist at the Daily Beast

Family of Martin Luther King Jr. will march in DC on #MLKDay to call for Congress to pass voting rights laws.

▪️ 19 states passed anti-voter laws in 2021
▪️ Bill to protect voters is being blocked by the GOP
▪️ Dem. Sens. Manchin and Sinema oppose changing Senate filibuster rule pic.twitter.com/Fo3kojCbCL

— AJ+ (@ajplus) January 14, 2022

Last month, a group of youth activists didn't eat for 15 days to get Congress to put voting rights reform at the top of its agenda. Now, they’re forgoing food again in an effort to pressure the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act. https://t.co/ZURsmcxJBX

— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) January 15, 2022

"History has never been kind to those who sided with voter suppression over voters rights."

President Biden says US voting rights are under attack and wants an overhaul of the country's election laws ⤵️

🔗: https://t.co/81fxXq0FPv pic.twitter.com/Mjg63nG4Kg

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 14, 2022