To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Stop Institutional Racism: Strengthen the Voting Rights Act and Amend Section 4
Congress must amend Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act in light of all the repressive state laws being passed to limit voting rights since Section 4 was struck down by the Roberts Court.
Declare racist voter suppression laws unconstitutional by amending Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. Strengthen voter rights; the time is now!
Declare racist voter suppression laws unconstitutional by amending Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. Strengthen voter rights; the time is now!
Why is this important?
Our congress can fix once and for all, the injustice brought by the Roberts Court that undermined the Voting Rights Act. Amend Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act in light of all the repressive state laws passed to limit voting rights since Section 4 was struck down by the Roberts Court.
Since its passage in 1965, there have been consistent attempts to undermine the Voting Rights Act, especially in the southern states where pre-clearance or Section 5 of the voting rights act was mandated.
Our new Bigot-In-Chief and his notoriously racist Attorney General, along with a majority on the Supreme Court to back him up are working nonstop to suppress the vote among those who don’t agree with the status-quo crowd.
In 2006, Congress overwhelmingly voted to reauthorize the VRA for 25 years, yet, in 2015, 50 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the Roberts Supreme Court voted to gut the act by declaring section 4 unconstitutional (the section that lists the states and localities that must “preclear” any voting laws with the federal government). The reason given for the reversal was because we as a country have changed and don’t need to be precleared. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, the number of states where pre-clearance is mandated should be expanded.
The Court did, however, leave section 5 in place. Section 4 was the teeth behind Section 5. It’s time to strengthen the Voting Rights Act by amending Section 4. This is imperative at a time when blatant attempts at voter suppression and terrorist attacks by neo-Nazis, xenophobes, and bigots on people of color, immigrants, and Muslims are being escalated at an alarming pace.
This is what institutional racism looks like:
Charlottesville, Virginia, one of the Section 5 states, was the scene of a large neo-Nazi demonstration over the decision to remove a Confederate war memorial. A large group of counter-protestors was also on the scene and were attacked by the right-wing attendees. One woman was killed and dozens injured as a neo-Nazi driver plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters. There were attacks by the right-wing extremists on the peaceful counter-protesters.
President Trump’s initial messaging seemed to reassure right-wing groups that he didn’t necessarily oppose those gathered in hate.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence, on many sides. On many sides. It's been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. This has been going on for a long, long time."
It wasn’t until pressure urging him to issue a stronger more targeted message about the terrorist act in South Carolina, did Trump finally issue a statement condemning the act of white-supremacists, KKK, and other hate groups. However, just a few days later, Trump's messaging again showed a twisted logic, indicating he still supports racists like KKK leader, David Duke. Its clear Trump doesn't want to alienate his base.
In the face of numerous terrorist acts involving minorities, immigrants, and places of worship, mostly in southern states, the time is now to strengthen the Voting Rights Act, not to weaken it.
Amend Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act in light of all the repressive state laws passed to limit voting rights since Section 4 was struck down by the Roberts Court.
Since its passage in 1965, there have been consistent attempts to undermine the Voting Rights Act, especially in the southern states where pre-clearance or Section 5 of the voting rights act was mandated.
Our new Bigot-In-Chief and his notoriously racist Attorney General, along with a majority on the Supreme Court to back him up are working nonstop to suppress the vote among those who don’t agree with the status-quo crowd.
In 2006, Congress overwhelmingly voted to reauthorize the VRA for 25 years, yet, in 2015, 50 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the Roberts Supreme Court voted to gut the act by declaring section 4 unconstitutional (the section that lists the states and localities that must “preclear” any voting laws with the federal government). The reason given for the reversal was because we as a country have changed and don’t need to be precleared. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, the number of states where pre-clearance is mandated should be expanded.
The Court did, however, leave section 5 in place. Section 4 was the teeth behind Section 5. It’s time to strengthen the Voting Rights Act by amending Section 4. This is imperative at a time when blatant attempts at voter suppression and terrorist attacks by neo-Nazis, xenophobes, and bigots on people of color, immigrants, and Muslims are being escalated at an alarming pace.
This is what institutional racism looks like:
Charlottesville, Virginia, one of the Section 5 states, was the scene of a large neo-Nazi demonstration over the decision to remove a Confederate war memorial. A large group of counter-protestors was also on the scene and were attacked by the right-wing attendees. One woman was killed and dozens injured as a neo-Nazi driver plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters. There were attacks by the right-wing extremists on the peaceful counter-protesters.
President Trump’s initial messaging seemed to reassure right-wing groups that he didn’t necessarily oppose those gathered in hate.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence, on many sides. On many sides. It's been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. This has been going on for a long, long time."
It wasn’t until pressure urging him to issue a stronger more targeted message about the terrorist act in South Carolina, did Trump finally issue a statement condemning the act of white-supremacists, KKK, and other hate groups. However, just a few days later, Trump's messaging again showed a twisted logic, indicating he still supports racists like KKK leader, David Duke. Its clear Trump doesn't want to alienate his base.
In the face of numerous terrorist acts involving minorities, immigrants, and places of worship, mostly in southern states, the time is now to strengthen the Voting Rights Act, not to weaken it.
Amend Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act in light of all the repressive state laws passed to limit voting rights since Section 4 was struck down by the Roberts Court.