50 YEARS OF THE VRA…VOTING RIGHTS ACTS
50 YEARS OF THE VRA…VOTING RIGHTS ACTS
From League of Women Voters
August 6 was the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). This landmark civil rights legislation has protected voters from discrimination for nearly half a century. But today, the VRA does not offer the same protections it did in 1965.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 gutted key provisions of the VRA in its Shelby County v. Holder decision. Congress currently has before it various proposals, but there’s been no legislation passed to repair the damage. Meanwhile, new restrictive voting laws have been enacted.
Each and every eligible American voter deserves to be treated fairly and to have free and equal access to the ballot. Tell Congress it’s time to restore the VRA.
The League of Women Voters has been fighting for voting rights protections for 95 years, and restoring the VRA is an important step to keep our elections fair, free and accessible.
In Wisconsin, the Government Accountability Board has released a report finding almost 4,000 accessibility problems in some 800 polling places around the state.
While this actually represents an improvement since 2013, there is obviously still much work to be done to ensure that people with disabilities can vote privately and independently.
The League of Women Voters signed a coalition letter to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget supporting funding for Great Lakes restoration in the President’s fiscal year 2017 budget.
Learn more about this and other vital issues at the LWV Lake Michigan Region annual meeting September 25-26 in Glenview, Illinois.
Check out our new content on the LWV-Wisconsin website.