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Friend — this is serious: The Supreme Court just leveled another major blow to voting rights and fair representation and removed a key check on racial discrimination and political abuse of power.
In its ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, the court eviscerated one of the most important remaining protections for voters of color in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) and set our nation back more than 60 years to the shameful time before free and fair elections for all, when voters of color were kept out of the ballot box and drawn out of power.
🚨With a few strokes of a pen, they callously undid the protections that generations of Black Americans sacrificed their safety and even their lives to secure.
Since the 1960s, the VRA stopped politicians from locking Black and Brown people out of political power by rigging voting maps to choose their voters, rather than letting voters choose their leaders. That critical legal protection is now gone.
This ruling sends a clear and dangerous message: Legislatures are now free to redraw district lines and rig them against the will of the people. We’ve already seen legislators in the Deep South take advantage of it: Florida passed new maps within hours of the decision, the Mississippi governor has called a special session to redraw maps, and the Louisiana attorney general has called for its legislature to do the same, even though voting has already started in the state’s primaries.
We don’t have to settle for this.
Congress can address the scourge of racial voting discrimination and uphold the Constitution by passing legislation that finally, fully protects the voting rights of people of color. State legislators can pass state-level voting rights to further protect voting rights and fair representation in their states. And local leaders can take every step possible to ensure the voting process is free and fair.
Your Vote Is Under Attack — Because It’s Powerful
If your vote didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be working this hard to take it away. Here are a few things you can do to resist:
Update your voter registration and mark your calendar to ensure your vote is cast in every municipal, state and federal election. Spread the word by sharing this voter registration link with 3 friends, family members, or neighbors. Donate to support the SPLC’s work to defend voting rights and help us build a multiracial, inclusive democracy where all people can thrive.
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