Friend,

John Robert Lewis was just 25 years old when he marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama — 600 protestors behind him and a swarm of state troopers blocking him. That day, Bloody Sunday, John Lewis was prepared to lay down his life to protect the right to vote. Within months, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law due to his tenacity.

Last Tuesday, Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL) introduced a transformative voting rights bill that could not have been more aptly named. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 follows in the footsteps of the civil rights giant, defending our democracy from further attacks by the right-wing majority in the Supreme Court.

Namely, the bill would override Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the landmark decision that gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: preclearance. The provision requires that states with a history of racist voting rights violations submit their electoral rules for federal approval before roll out.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would stop targeted voter suppression tactics before they start by requiring preclearance on attempts to:

• Decrease turnout in young minority voters
• Introduce redistricting laws in racially diverse areas
• Reduce polling place hours
• Reduce polling place locations
• Enact restrictive voter registration and identification laws
• Limit access based on language

If passed, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act would also reverse a number of other rulings by the highest court that uphold discriminatory voter suppression practices. With the current 6–3 conservative majority in the Supreme Court, opportunities for voting rights victories in the courts are slim to none.

That’s why Congress must rise to the occasion and swiftly get this legislation to President Biden’s desk, so he may sign powerful voting protections into law.

Representative John Lewis witnessed the atrocities of the Jim Crow-era, yet still he fought relentlessly throughout his career to both acknowledge and move this nation past the most shameful chapters of our history. He believed the soul of America was worth saving.

We have the opportunity to honor the late congressman’s legacy and bring us closer to his vision for our democracy — truly free, fair, and for the people.

Act now: Urge your House representative to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in the upcoming vote.

Thank you,

NextGen America