Less than 48 hours after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, six Republican-led states are moving forward with laws proven to have adverse effects on the abilities of minorities, young people, the elderly and the poor to exercise their right to vote.
In a 5-4 decision, the high court’s five conservative justices ruled the formula which required states with a history of racial discrimination to “pre-clear” changes to their voting laws with the Justice Department or a federal judge before enforcing them, is unconstitutional.
It only took a few hours for the attorney general of Texas to announce the state’s voter identification law – once deemed “intentional discrimination” by a lower court – is slated to take effect immediately. One day later, Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed into law “blatantly discriminatory” redistricting maps also blocked by the court. The U.S. Supreme Court has since thrown out the lower court ruling which initially blocked the controversial Texas voter ID and redistricting laws.
South Carolina’s attorney general announced plans to implement its election reform plans, including voter ID laws, which a federal court blocked during the 2012 election. State leaders in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia are also moving forward with voting restrictions.
Congress must rewrite the Section 4 formula before any state receives further federal scrutiny. Take action to restore these protections and the Voting Rights Act. Click here to tell Congress to protect the right to vote.
