Read a PDF of our statement here.
Today, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and the Center for American Progress (CAP) launched an educational video series State Voting Rights Acts (State VRAs): Explained. More than 300 state and national civil and voting rights advocates joined the series launch event, to hear from national voting rights leaders about the need to educate people about the importance of State VRAs, especially because of the threats facing our democracy and continued attempts to undermine Black political participation.
The series will feature allied experts from organizations including LDF, CAP, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), Brennan Center for Justice, Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Harvard Election Law Clinic, Latino Justice, and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). This series comes amid yearlong commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the legacy of Black activism that helped solidify that law, including the Selma to Montgomery march.
As part of this educational effort, LDF unveiled public opinion polling that shows the overwhelming majority of Americans believe voting rights are under threat and want more protections through a State VRA:
Demetria McCain, Director of Policy for the Legal Defense Fund issued the following statement:
“Right now, State VRAs are the most compelling and viable path to protect Black voters who currently face voting rights assaults and even graver threats under Trump’s Project 2025 agenda.”
“This year, as we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the legacy of Black activism in the south, LDF and its partners will lead the fight to ensure Black voters can continue building political power. State VRAs are a means to strengthening and protecting voting rights and are crucial to fortifying Black representation, especially at the local level.”
Rebecca Mears, Director of Democracy Policy at the Center for American Progress issued the following statement:
“This year marks 60 years since the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted. What should be a moment for celebration is one of disquiet instead. The federal Voting Rights Act has been gutted by courts over the years, leaving it a shell of its former self and stripping crucial protections from millions of Americans.
“But not all hope is lost. States can step up to quickly and effectively restore critical protections by passing state voting rights acts. This is precisely why we’re shining a light on these acts. Let this anniversary serve as more than a hollow victory march. Let this anniversary instead be the catalyst for a renewed fight for voting rights.”
State VRAs have been enacted every year since 2018 – in Washington, Oregon, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, and Minnesota – except in 2020 during the pandemic. Right now, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and New Jersey are working to pass their own. This momentum is fueled by the fact that 34.4 million Black people were eligible to vote in 2024, a seven percent increase since 2020. As this voting bloc grows, so will anti-democracy threats to target Black and Brown voters who already disproportionately navigate barriers to voting.
State and federal voting rights leaders including U.S. Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz joined the State VRA video series launch, offering strong support for states enacting their own State VRAs. Congresswoman Sewell is a lead sponsor of the federal John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act while Gov. Walz’s home state of Minnesota was the most recent state to enact a State VRA.
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957 — although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.