Voting Rights Act (VRA)

The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling this week leaves the country vulnerable to the very forms of voter suppression Congress warned of in 2006.

The League of Women Voters statement on the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the Voting Rights Act.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a victory for voters when it struck down an Arizona law requiring documentary proof of citizenship when citizens register to vote.

Four young women from Austin, TX who are in DC to compete in the National History Day Competition visited our offices to discuss their impressive project on the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Early this month, a plethora of voter suppression bills  were introduced by members of the North Carolina Legislature. If passed, the consequences would be dire.

Each state has focused some of their energy on voting rights and elections – 2230 bills relating to elections, both good and bad, have been introduced in state legislatures across the country since January.

“Restrictions on the use of the national voter registration application form like those by Arizona make it much more difficult to register eligible citizens to vote,” Elisabeth MacNamara said.

This case puts independent voter registration drives, like those conducted by the League, squarely in the crosshairs of those that want to restrict access to political participation and voting.

The lawyer’s lounge in the Supreme Court building is a soothing shade of green with high ceilings, large windows and portraits of obscure associate justices from centuries past staring down from the walls.

Section 5 has helped transform American democracy from a restricted, segregated past to one of remarkable inclusion,” said MacNamara. “The importance of the outcome of this case cannot be overstated."