The Supreme Court just aided and abetted those who seek to suppress our right to vote.
A narrow majority has ruled that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional. This is the formula used to determine which states and localities need preclearance before changing their voting laws.
With the formula scrapped, the Department of Justice’s most effective tool to prevent voter disenfranchisement has been put on hold … for now.
The decision also gives Congress clear authority to enact a new formula that ensures no one is denied the right to vote. But whether or not Congress acts is up to us.
The Supreme Court’s decision is extreme, and simply unconscionable. At least 31 states are considering laws to make it harder to vote by restricting early voting periods, enacting harsh voter ID laws, and instituting the modern day equivalent of poll taxes.The target for these discriminatory laws is clear: communities of color, and young, women, elderly, and disabled voters.
The extremists responsible for these laws probably think today’s ruling is a big win. They are smiling ear to ear as they read the Supreme Court’s decision.
Not for long, Bobby. In 2006, the NAACP mobilized thousands to protect the Voting Rights Act. We’re already working to protect voting rights in all 31 of these states, and to aggressively demand Congress expand Section 4 to include each and every state that has restricted the right to vote.
We want you there with us for this fight. We need you there with us. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, tell your representatives they must defend our voting rights:
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