In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act (VRA), a cornerstone achievement of the civil rights movement that ensured every American citizen, regardless of race, ethnicity or language, equal access to the vote. But two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a key part of the VRA.
We should be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, but instead voters are more vulnerable to discrimination than at any time since the VRA was first passed.
Every day that Congress fails to repair the VRA, Americans are in danger of increased barriers at the polls. 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.
The right to vote is one of the most basic rights in our country and it must be protected. Tell Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act!
Dear [Representative],
Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a key part of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), reducing the protections for the voting rights of American citizens. It's time for Congress to fulfill its obligations under the Constitution to eradicate voting discrimination by restoring the VRA to its full strength and effectiveness.
[Your comment will be added here]
The VRA protected the right to vote regardless of race, ethnicity or language for fifty years. Yet since the decision in Shelby v. Holder two years ago, Congress has failed to act. Restoring the VRA is about more than protecting voters from discrimination. It is about protecting our fundamental right to vote. The right to vote for every American must be protected.
Since the Shelby decision, politicians in states, counties, cities and towns have passed laws and adopted practices that discriminate against voters of color and language minority voters – making it harder to register, to vote and to have those votes counted equally. This should be unacceptable to the greatest democracy in the world. We cannot let American voters endure discrimination at the polls in this year in which we mark 50 years since passage of the Voting Rights Act.
The time to act is now! Congress can no longer sweep the concerns of voters across the country under the rug. If you don't take action, voters in the 2016 election will face the first presidential election in 50 years lacking crucial protections to combat racial discrimination at the polls. Please support and pass legislation that will restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
