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John — This weekend marks the 57th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) — the historic legislation that outlawed racially discriminatory voting practices. This leap of progress was accomplished through years of advocacy from voting rights champions including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis. They broke down barriers that were intentionally created to disenfranchise voters of color, and while the VRA remains one of the most hard-fought pieces of voting rights legislation in our nation’s history, our work isn’t over yet. In 2013, a Supreme Court case by the name of Shelby County v. Holder changed everything. Shelby County v. Holder gutted a major section of the VRA, leaving us with lasting vulnerabilities in our system where discrimination can, and does, exist. Without a doubt, our fundamental right to vote is still under threat. Extremist Republicans have spent years enacting sweeping restrictions to disenfranchise people of color. Scarce polling locations with huge wait times in Black and Brown neighborhoods, denying representation, ending Sunday voting, purging voter registrations — all of these are tactics Republicans have implemented in order to make it harder for people to vote. They won’t stop there either, John, which is why we need to act fast. The House already passed legislation that would restore the VRA — the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 — and now it’s up to the Senate to do their part to protect our voting rights.
Especially with midterm elections happening in just a few months, we can’t afford to let any more voters be stripped of their constitutional right. Thanks for taking action with me. — Lauren |
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