LOS ANGELES – Today Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives reintroduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA).
Previously passed in the House in 2021, the VRAA would restore some of the voting protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that were severely undermined in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) and weakened in other recent voting rights cases.
Please attribute the following statement to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):
“MALDEF welcomes and wholeheartedly supports this renewed attempt to restore critical voting rights protections for all Americans. Voting is a right of extreme importance, and we should ensure that individual states and other government entities do not have the ability to restrict the rights of voters of color for reasons of partisan political expediency or rank racial prejudice.
“This act would restore and enhance previous protections struck down by irresponsible judges and justices serving an agenda other than justice itself. MALDEF is particularly encouraged that the legislation includes practice-based preclearance, which would ensure that newly emerging significant populations of color nationwide will be able to challenge measures with a sordid history of misuse to limit voting rights.”