More than one year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an essential provision of the Voting Rights Act, Americans across the country are standing up for the right to vote and calling on Congress to protect voters from discrimination.
The Voting Rights Act is widely regarded as one of the greatest pieces of civil rights legislation in our nation’s history. It has an essential role in serving as our democracy’s discrimination checkpoint. The Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, to strike down a key section of the Act must be redressed. Responding to the Shelby County decision should be a top priority for Congress before the end of this Session. The Voting Rights Amendment Act (VRAA) S. 1945 and H.R. 3899, is a bipartisan bill which contains a comprehensive set of flexible and forward-looking measures to protect against voting discrimination. We urge Congress to act as expeditiously as possible to safeguard the voting rights of communities of color.
Since the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. circulated a petition calling on Congress to advance the VRAA in March, 2,310 Americans have signed this call to restore the Voting Rights Act!
We are pleased to join other civil rights organizations who asked Americans to add their names to petitions calling for members of Congress to protect voting rights and to stand up for the Voting Rights Act. We are joining together now to show the force of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who want to make sure elections are free and fair for all.
Every day Congress fails to live up to its constitutional obligation to protect the right to vote, it gives a free pass to voting discrimination. Over half a million Americans are now calling on Congress to pass the bipartisan VRAA to restore the Voting Rights Act and provide modern, nationwide protections against racial discrimination in voting.
The 2,310 Americans who signed our petition calling on Congress to protect voters against discrimination is only the beginning. As our country gets closer to the November election, we will continue to ask people to stand up and be counted in their support for voting rights.
Congress has a duty to restore the Voting Rights Act to fulfill the promise of our Constitution and ensure that all Americans have the right to vote without facing discrimination.