Why We Must Revitalize the Voting Rights Act Upon Its 49th Anniversary

EDITORIAL NOTE: This blog post was originally posted on President Elisabeth MacNamara's Huffington Post blog.

Next week marks the 49th anniversary of the signing of the landmark civil rights statute, the monumental Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). A cornerstone of the civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act ensures that every American citizen, regardless of race or language, has equal access to the vote. That is until last June, when the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key part of the Voting Rights Act, leading to a full-frontal attack on the voting rights of all Americans. With no legislative fix passed in the past year, voting rights remain at risk today.

Voter discrimination cannot be tolerated in the 21st century, and we will not remain silent as the voting rights of Americans everywhere are at risk. That's why we're pushing Congress to pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act, a flexible, modern answer to the problem of discrimination in voting.

Introduced in Congress by bipartisan co-sponsors earlier this year, the Voting Rights Amendment Act (VRAA) is a workable, commonsense solution that would modernize the elections process and protect the voting rights of all Americans. League members across the country have urged Congress to pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act, and praised the legislations' bipartisan supporters for putting aside politics to govern. Yet while the Senate has held a hearing on the legislation, the House of Representatives has yet to act. Every day that Congress fails to pass this critical legislation, Americans are in danger of increased barriers to the polls in their states and jurisdictions.

Continue reading at the Huffington Post.