For Immediate Release
August 17, 2021
Contact: Julian Brookes, julian.brookes@nyu.edu, 646–673–6224
The U.S. House of Representatives today introduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The legislation would combat racial discrimination in voting by restoring and strengthening the protections of the Voting Rights Act — protections gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 and further weakened earlier this year.
Wendy R. Weiser, vice president of the Democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice, had this reaction:
“At a moment when states across the country are passing restrictive voting laws targeted at voters of color, the need for a strong Voting Rights Act couldn’t be more urgent. For decades, until the Supreme Court gutted its core protections, the VRA stood as a key defense against the threat of voting discrimination. We need it to play that role once again. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore and strengthen the VRA. It’s now critical that Congress pass this legislation, along with the For the People Act, to safeguard the freedom to vote and the chance for fair representation for millions of Americans.”
Resources on the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
- Testimony on Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: Potential Legislative Reforms (August 2021)
- How the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Targets Discrimination (August 2021)
- Testimony on the Implications of Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee and Potential Legislative Reponses (July 2021)
- Honor John Lewis and Protect the Voting Rights Act (June 2021)
- Testimony on Voting in America Before the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Elections (June 2021)
