With the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. – the site where civil rights protesters were brutalized in 1965 – as their backdrop, House Democrats Tuesday introduced a new voting rights bill named for late Congressman John Lewis, who himself was beaten and bloodied during that pivotal protest 56 years ago.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act aims to shield voters from discriminatory practices by government institutions by rewriting protections that were stripped from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Listen to your favorite News/Talk station now on Audacy.
Naming the bill after Lewis carries weight because he spent his life trying to make voting more accessible until his death in 2020, and the bill is a direct response to Republican-led state governments who have looked to limit voting access since the 2020 elections that saw President Donald Trump ousted after just one term and the Senate flipped from a Republican majority to an even 50-50 split that allows Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris to break any tied votes.
Residents of these states protesting the new restrictions have argued that they overwhelmingly affect areas populated by citizens of color and make voting more difficult, therefore disproving the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision that the 1965 protections were outdated and no longer necessary.
Related
Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama introduced the new act.
"By preventing states with a recent history of voter discrimination from restricting the right to vote, this bill restores the full promise of our democracy and advances the legacy of those brave foot soldiers like John Lewis who dedicated their lives for the sacred right to vote," Sewell said.
The House bill comes as similar legislation in the Senate has stalled.
Related
