The 1965 Voting Rights Act prohibited government from imposing any “voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.” Patriots say this iconic law affirms that our Constitutional right to vote is essential to our democracy. In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down Section 4b of the Voting Rights Act. This section required states with histories of voter suppression to receive pre-clearance from the Justice Department before changing their election procedures. The Court ruled these pre-clearances are no longer necessary. Soon afterwards, states began enacting previously-illegal voter suppression laws that restricted minorities, the elderly, students, those disabled, and others from voting.

The 2020 election showed why we need our Voting Rights Act restored. Many states have purged voters from registration rolls under the guise of “maintenance,” or voided ballots because of technicalities such signatures that didn’t perfectly match-up with those on file. Some states have imposed strict photo ID requirements in order to vote. Other states have restricted voting and registration in many ways that disproportionately affect African Americans. These restrictions include cutting back on early voting, removing ballot drop-off boxes, and disallowing ballots that had been mailed on time but delivered after election day. Our Postmaster General intentionally slowed mail delivers prior to the election by removing large sorting machines from mail processing centers and prohibiting overtime pay for postal employees.

Pending Legislation: H.R.14 - John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2023
Sponsor: Rep. Terri Sewell (AL)
Status: House Committee on the Judiciary
Chair: Rep. Jim Jordan (OH)