Support the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014

Last year, the Supreme Court gutted the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. Since then, Republicans across the country have raced to implement new restrictive laws that would do exactly what the Voting Rights Act was meant to protect.

But now, there's a chance to stop that.

Late last week, Representatives Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and John Conyers (D-MI) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced new legislation—the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014—that would strengthen the Voting Rights Act. This bill isn't perfect but is the best vehicle we have for restoring the rights struck down by the Supreme Court last year.

Improving and passing this bill won't be easy. Already, critics on the right are gearing up to try to kill it, and Speaker John Boehner has yet to commit to bringing it up for a vote. Despite the fact that the bill is bipartisan, it's not guaranteed to pass.

Some Republicans are looking to kill any chances of this bill even coming up for debate. The best way to prevent that is to get as much visible support early on. Already, there are nine co-sponsors of this bill—four Republicans and five Democrats.