In all, 22 states have new restrictive voting requirements in effect since the 2010 midterm election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. That sobering number represents nearly half our nation’s states. It also represents hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of eligible voters being denied their protected right to a vote. We should not accept this current state of affairs as the last word on voting rights in our democracy.
We certainly cannot rely on a change of heart from states bent on denying this fundamental right to its residents. We cannot allow political parties to hijack elections for short-term political gain while they undermine a basic pillar of our democracy in the long-term. We need action, and we need action from our elected officials.
When the Supreme Court stripped the preclearance provision from the VRA, it challenged Congress to create new legislation-an updated set of protections that would help guarantee our right to vote and repair much of the damage caused by the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling. The National Urban League will continue to work in coalition with the civil rights community and press members of Congress to restore the VRA. If we don’t stand for everyone’s right to vote-we stand to lose it and lose what makes living in this country special, and in many cases, unique. Millions of Americans should never have to fear barriers at the ballot box. Let’s #RestoretheVRA.
(Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League.)
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
Download our mobile app at https://www.appshopper.com/news/new-pittsburgh-courier
About Post Author
