| Call to Action! The League of Women Voters of the United States has asked us all to take part in a “Virtual Lobby Day” today, Thursday, June 25, in support of the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA).
The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 holds states to follow specific requirements when conducting elections for federal offices. The original Act had a critical tool that requires states with a history of suppressing the vote of racial, ethnic, or language minorities to “pre-clear” changes in key voting laws and practices with the US Department of Justice or the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
In 2013, the Supreme Court stripped away these key protections that had reduced discrimination, particularly against Black voters. The Shelby v. Holder decision suspended pre-clearance. States rapidly started purging qualified voters, adopting restrictive voter ID laws, closing polling places, enacting onerous requirements for voting, and gerrymandering with abandon.
It’s past time for Congress to update and restore the Voting Rights Act, including the critical pre-clearance requirement. Ask your Senators to pass S.561, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019.
Status: the VRAA passed the House of Representatives in December. Now is the Senate’s turn.
WHAT ACTIONS CAN I TAKE ON JUNE 25?
1. Email your Senators using our Action Alert!
2. Call your Senators and ask them to support and pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act
3. Tweet at your Senators (find sample posts & graphics here)
4. Participate in our Twitter Storm between 2-3pm ET (find sample posts & graphics here)
You can find information and Talking Points in the US League’s toolkit here.
After contacting your legislator, report your advocacy here.
|
