John Lewis: Good Trouble

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is considered one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history. It came about as a direct result of the work of John Lewis, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, with the goal of overcoming state and local laws that denied Black people their constitutional right to vote. Prior to the passing of the VRA, various blatantly discriminatory practices were used to prevent Black people from voting. The Act enshrines on every American citizen the equal opportunity to vote. Unfortunately, in 2013, the Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder gutted the Voting Rights Act. (Read more: Brennan Center)

In 2013 the Supreme Court did away with one of the most important provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Section 4 made it so counties with a history of race-based discriminatory election practices couldn’t change the rules without “preclearing” them first with the U.S. Justice Department. Within hours of the ruling, a floodgate of new voter suppression laws were enacted to restrict the equal opportunity to vote. (Read More: Brennan Center)

While voter suppression has existed since the beginning of our democracy, over the last 10 years it has become more prevalent than ever. In 2013, the Supreme Court decision to gut the VRA allowed states to make it intentionally difficult for people to vote by enacting strict voter ID laws, reducing early voting days, shortening voting times, restricting voter registration and purging voter rolls (deleting registered voters off the system). These tactics are meant to keep voters away from the ballot box, particularly people of color, poor people, the young and the old. And it works – because of these laws, significant numbers of eligible voters have been kept from exercising their fundamental right to participate in democracy. (Read More: Brennan Center)

Since the beginning of our democracy, voter suppression laws have disenfranchised Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander communities; poor people, seniors, immigrants, and people with disabilities. Furthermore, 6.1 million Americans are excluded from the democratic process due to criminal disenfranchisement laws (Sentencing Project). These laws take away from people the right to vote simply based on a criminal past.  (Read more: Brennan Center)

While voter suppression laws exist in a number of states, Georgia and North Carolina are two of the most impacted. The Shelby County v. Holder decision coupled with a legacy of voter suppression allowed an all-out assault on voting rights. Additionally, these two states meant a lot to Congressman Lewis. He was the President of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which was founded in North Carolina, and Georgia was Congressman Lewis’ adopted home state, where his legacy is embedded in local history and culture. Both states also have competitive Senate races, the outcomes of which will be crucial to whether or not the Voting Rights Act will ultimately be reinstated.