Permanent Voting Rights for ALL

Voter suppression laws have been implemented by the Republican Party in many states, especially here in Georgia. These laws are disenfranchising millions of voters. History has shown the need to include additional legislation to ensure all citizens the right to vote.

The 15th Amendment (February 3, 1870) declares, "rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." (Library of Congress, 2012). However many states created opposing laws to take voting rights away that the 15th Amendment granted. As such, Congress determined that the existing federal anti-discrimination laws were not sufficient to overcome the resistance by state officials to enforce the 15th Amendment (U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2012). President Johnson signed the resulting legislation, The Voting Rights Act, into law on August 6, 1965. This act served the purpose it was meant to serve, and many were able to vote for the first time.

Unfortunately, in 2012, many U.S. citizens find ourselves in situations where our right to vote is threatened with voter suppression laws. Additionally, the Voting Rights Act has to be re-signed every 25 years, and does not permanently protect the right to vote.

Please sign this petition and urge the U.S. Senate and U. S. Congress to ensure that all American citizens will have the PERMANENT right to vote by making additions to the verbiage in the 15th Amendment and Voting Rights Act.

Resources:
Library of Congress. (2012). 15th amendment to the constitution. Retrieved on January 17, 2012 from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/15thamendment.html

U.S. Department of Justice. (2012). The voting rights act of 1965. Retrieved on January 17, 2012 from http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php