Support the Voting Rights Advancement Act

The right to vote, our most basic and foundational right, has come increasingly under attack in the past several years.

In June 2013, the Supreme Court gutted a major provision of the Voting Rights Act, making it easier for states to increase barriers to voting. Since then, voter id laws and other laws designed to make it harder to vote have cropped up across the country.

Two years after the Supreme Court's decision, Congress has introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would undo the damage and once again protect the right to vote for all Americans.

Tell Congress to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act.

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Pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act

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I urge you to support this important bill.

The VRAA has received broad and vocal support from the civil rights community because it responds to the unique, modern-day challenges of voting discrimination that have evolved in the 50 years since the Voting Rights Act was first passed.  And as a voter who cares about the environment, it is important to me that all voters' rights are protected, especially in low-income and frontline communities who face the largest environmental justice concerns.

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) is the most successful civil rights statute ever enacted by Congress. 
For the last 50 years, the work to protect citizens from racial discrimination in voting has been bipartisan work. The statute was passed with leadership from both the Republican and Democratic parties, and the reauthorizations of the enforcement provisions were signed into law each time by Republican presidents  Nixon in 1970; Ford in 1975; Reagan in 1982; and George W. Bush in 2006.

The Act made it possible for racial minority voters across the country to participate equally in the electoral process. Because of the VRA, literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory mechanisms were invalidated. In recent years, the Act has worked to block voting practices, such as redistricting plans, registration requirements, polling place changes, and voter ID laws that were found to be racially discriminatory.

Yet since the Supreme Court invalidated the key enforcement provision of the Act in 2013, voting discrimination has become harder to stop. In states, counties, and cities across the country, legislators have pushed through laws designed to make it harder for minorities to vote. In the lead-up to the 2014 election, a resurgence of laws to increase barriers to voting, and dilute minority voting strength, have put the right to vote in more danger than at any time in the past 50 years.

Unless Congress acts, voters in 2016 will face the first presidential election in 50 years where they will lack strong protections in federal law to combat racial discrimination in voting. Congress can no longer continue to ignore the problem of modern voting discrimination.  Congress must act to restore the VRA.

Recent polling from The Leadership Conference found that 81 percent of voters support the Voting Rights Act and 69 percent of voters want Congress to restore it. This support is widespread among voters of all races, parties, and regions of the country.

Today, Congress must fulfill its obligations under the Constitution to eradicate voting discrimination by restoring the strength and effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act. Fifty years after brave Americans gave their lives for the right to vote, we cannot allow their legacy and the protections they fought for to continue to unravel.

On June 24, 2015, the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) was introduced in the both the Senate and the House. The introduction of the bills coincided with the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder, a decision which invalidated the key enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). In its decision, the Court recognized that racial discrimination in voting continues to plague our electoral system, and called on Congress to revisit the enforcement scheme in the Act to ensure that it responds to current conditions. I urge you to support this important bill. The VRAA has received broad and vocal support from the civil rights community because it responds to the unique, modern-day challenges of voting discrimination that have evolved in the 50 years since the Voting Rights Act was first passed. And as a voter who cares about the environment, it is important to me that all voters' rights are protected, especially in low-income and frontline communities who face the largest environmental justice concerns. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) is the most successful civil rights statute ever enacted by Congress. For the last 50 years, the work to protect citizens from racial discrimination in voting has been bipartisan work. The statute was passed with leadership from both the Republican and Democratic parties, and the reauthorizations of the enforcement provisions were signed into law each time by Republican presidents Nixon in 1970; Ford in 1975; Reagan in 1982; and George W. Bush in 2006. The Act made it possible for racial minority voters across the country to participate equally in the electoral process. Because of the VRA, literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory mechanisms were invalidated. In recent years, the Act has worked to block voting practices, such as redistricting plans, registration requirements, polling place changes, and voter ID laws that were found to be racially discriminatory. Yet since the Supreme Court invalidated the key enforcement provision of the Act in 2013, voting discrimination has become harder to stop. In states, counties, and cities across the country, legislators have pushed through laws designed to make it harder for minorities to vote. In the lead-up to the 2014 election, a resurgence of laws to increase barriers to voting, and dilute minority voting strength, have put the right to vote in more danger than at any time in the past 50 years. Unless Congress acts, voters in 2016 will face the first presidential election in 50 years where they will lack strong protections in federal law to combat racial discrimination in voting. Congress can no longer continue to ignore the problem of modern voting discrimination. Congress must act to restore the VRA. Recent polling from The Leadership Conference found that 81 percent of voters support the Voting Rights Act and 69 percent of voters want Congress to restore it. This support is widespread among voters of all races, parties, and regions of the country. Today, Congress must fulfill its obligations under the Constitution to eradicate voting discrimination by restoring the strength and effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act. Fifty years after brave Americans gave their lives for the right to vote, we cannot allow their legacy and the protections they fought for to continue to unravel.

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