The Blueprint for Change: on Civil Rights

Fight job discrimination to give women equal footing at jobs

• Pay Equity: Obama will better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace.

• Discrimination on the Job: For every $1.00 earned by a man, the average woman receives only 77 cents. A recent study estimates it will take another 47 years for women to close the wage gap with men.

• Fight for Pay Equity: Obama believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace.
• Expand Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: Obama will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50% credit for their child care expenses.

Remove discriminatory barriers to the right to vote

• Protect the Right to Vote: Obama will remove discriminatory barriers to the right to vote.

• Efforts Continue to Suppress the Vote: A recent study discovered numerous organized efforts t intimidate, mislead and suppress minority voters.

• End Deceptive Voting Practices: Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voter who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.

• As a community organizer, Obama helped 150,000 African Americans register to vote.
• As a civil rights lawyer, Obama litigated voting rights cases.
• In the Senate, Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.