Take Action: Voting Rights

The historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 secured equal opportunity rights for millions of Americans. Many of the provisions of the VRA are set to expire in 2007. Today, some legislators are seeking to limit the effectiveness of this anti-discrimination act. The following call to action comes from the ACLU:

While progress has been made in the years since the VRA was first signed into law, discrimination in voting still exists in the United States as state and local jurisdictions continue to enact laws, regulations and procedures intentionally designed to dilute minority voting strength and prevent members of minorities from voting.

A handful of lawmakers are attempting to block passage of H.R. 9 in an attempt to weaken or eliminate key provisions of the VRA that prevent voting discrimination. Not surprisingly, these lawmakers come from states that have the worst records of continued voter disfranchisement.

Some lawmakers have suggested extending Section 5 coverage to the whole country a proposition that would effectively destroy the provision. The prohibition against discrimination in voting applies to the whole country, but nationwide application of Section 5 would make the VRA unconstitutional and would shift the focus of this provision away from those areas that have the longest and most persistent history of voting discrimination.

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Contact your representative right now and tell him or her to support H.R. 9 without making changes that would weaken the Voting Rights Act.