Help fight to protect the rights of every voter in America by urging your representatives in Congress to strengthen and support the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015 (VRAA).
After a devastating blow to the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder last year, we must ensure that all Americans can participate equally in the political process.
Your support will send a strong message to Congress that we will not back down when it comes to safeguarding our right to vote.
You may use the below text to copy and paste into an email, letter, or post onto your Representative’s social media pages.
Dear Representative,
I’m writing to ask you to support the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015 (“VRAA”), H.R. 885 / S. 1659.
As I’m sure you’re aware, the voting rights of millions of Americans were made more vulnerable by the Supreme Court’s devastating ruling in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, a decision in which the Court struck a core provision of the Voting Rights Act, rendering the Section 5 “preclearance provision” inoperable.
Within hours of the Supreme Court’s decision, the State of Texas – where, in 2012 alone, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act blocked both the state’s discriminatory photo ID law and intentionally discriminatory redistricting plans – announced its intention to implement those measures immediately.
This is only one of many examples of formerly-covered states declaring their intent to take advantage of the Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder decision by reverting back to laws that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act had previously blocked.
The VRAA provides an essential starting point in responding to this devastating decision, and to ensuring that no one is denied the right to vote, particularly on account of their race or language minority status.
This legislation is the first step in restoring the Voting Rights Act by:
Enhancing the power of federal courts to stop discriminatory voting changes before they are implemented and to order a preclearance remedy when needed;
Providing a flexible coverage provision that is updated annually to require preclearance for all changes in places with recent voting rights violations;
Creating transparency requirements that help keep people informed about voting changes in their community; and
Continuing the federal observer program, which is critical to combating racial discrimination at the polls.
Many wrongly predicted that Congress would be both unwilling and unable to respond to the Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder decision. But the introduction of this legislation demonstrates that safeguarding voting rights for Americans remains a bipartisan congressional priority.
Please strengthen and pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015, H.R. 885 / S. 1659.
This legislation is a strong step in the right direction towards ensuring all Americans have full, equal, and active access to the right to vote, the one fundamental right that is preservative of all other rights.
Thank you,
Your Name Here
You can learn more about voting in Horry County by visiting our Voting Information Page.
