Take Action
- Sign the petition urging the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.
- Educate yourself by reading the DNC's Voting Rights Institute's report on the 2004 election in Ohio.
- If you want to be on the forefront of protecting voters, you can get more information on the DNC's National Lawyer's Council by emailing Anna Martinez at martineza@dnc.org.
An op-ed in today's New York Times by the late President Lyndon Baines Johnson's daughters says that Congressional Republicans are disabling the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by allowing critical voting safeguards to expire such as Section 5 that protects voters in areas with histories of discrimination and Section 203 which requires language assistance to promote voting by citizens with limited English proficiency. Just as President Johnson stood up to members of his own party to pass the VRA, it's time for Republican leaders to stand up to the right-wing extremists in their party to protect the Constitutional right to vote for every American.
This week, the DNC's Podcast hosts Donna Brazile, Chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute. Donna Brazile discusses the Republican assault on Americans' voting rights including the Republican controlled Congress stalling action on the Voting Rights Act, one of the most significant civil rights statutes ever enacted.
Alabama's Huntsville Times features a story today about the Voting Rights Act. The author makes the point that the South became a major focus of the VRA because discrimination in the South was so widespread. Of course the bill focuses...
Over the last 24 hours, Congressional Republicans have made very clear their real agenda for the American people. Congressional Republicans are running away from tough decisions and instead are desperately pandering to their base to improve their political standing in November.
DNC Chairman Howard Dean released the following statement after House Republicans stalled action on the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
As our final guest blogger this week commemerating the tomorrow's anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we have Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez from Texas.
Today I join countless Americans in celebrating the anniversary of this historic and watershed legislation. Forty years ago the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was created to ensure African Americans the right to vote without fear of intimidation, suppression, or harassment.
The cornerstone of our democracy is based on the right to vote. So many of us, including the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, have in the past been denied this fundamental right to vote.
Voting can be divided into three phases: Eligibility, Casting the vote and Aggregation. Lots of attention has been paid to the first two. In contrast, little attention has been placed on Aggregation.
We must be an active part of the political power system if we are to make the changes we want as Indian people. Thanks to the Voting Rights Act for helping the Indian Voice be heard.
On June 29, 2005 the U.S. Department of Justice Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division released the results of an investigation "prompted by allegations that Franklin County (OH) systematically assigned fewer voting machines in polling places serving predominantly black communities as compared to its assignment of machines in predominantly white communities."
Forty years ago, after the bloody march in Selma, Congress passed and President Johnson signed the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act striking down centuries of voter discrimination against Blacks and people of color. But today, along with attacks on civil rights, labor, and religion for the poor comes a devious attempt to undermine or eliminate the Voting Rights Act.
This week, the Democratic Party will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
