Mark Pryor and Democrats generally believe that people should be allowed to vote. Arkansas Republicans, including presumably Tom Cotton, believe that people should be allowed to vote if they'll vote the right way. This additional requirement for participation in American democracy is a large issue in the U.S. Senate race.
This week is the 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights march on Washington that led to, among other things, passage of the federal Voting Rights Act, prohibiting discrimination against blacks seeking to vote. But, as Senator Pryor has said, "Earlier this year, the Supreme Court invalidated a key section of the Voting Rights Act, effectively making it possible for states to discriminate against minority voters at the ballot box. It opened the doors to discriminatory voter ID laws and gerrymandered districts. We need to fix this. Voting is a right that's fundamental to our democracy. ... [J]oin several of my colleagues and me in demanding Congress act to restore the Voting Rights Act."
The Republican-appointee majority of the Supreme Court surely knew the Court's action would lead to new attempts at discrimination against black voters, as it has. The Scalia gang is not naive. It's far worse.
Pryor is right in trying to repair the Voting Rights Act. Congress made a noble promise to America 50 years ago. The Supreme Court shouldn't be allowed to break it for partisan purposes.