To mark the 48th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Democrats have launched www.votingrightsmatter.com. This new microsite tells the story of the fight for voting rights, connecting the historic struggle to what’s happening today. The timeline begins with the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the 15th amendment, then continues to women’s suffrage, the civil rights movement all the way up to the Supreme Court’s recent decision.
While the Voting Rights Act was a major step forward in protecting and expanding access to the ballot, the Supreme Court’s decision to rule parts of the law unconstitutional opened the door for Republican state legislatures to pass harmful obstructive legislation. After only one month, eleven Republican-controlled states are taking steps to make it harder to cast a vote.
President Obama, Democratic lawmakers and Democratic governors are working to combat these actions and fight these restrictive laws. From creating the new Commission on Electoral Administration to drafting and signing legislation into law that expands access to the polls and protects to the right to vote, Democrats are working to live up to the potential laid out in the Voting Rights Act. The timeline on the new website finishes with an opportunity to sign up to join the fight to protect voting rights—we need your help!
