Las Vegas
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Enacted in 1965, the Voting Rights Act is among the nation's most effective civil rights laws. The VRA enforces the Constitution's 15th Amendment guarantee that "the rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged … on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
The Voting Rights Act was designed to prevent physical intimidation, voter harassment, the poll tax, language barriers, literacy tests, racial gerrymandering, and other tools of disenfranchisement.
While the Voting Rights Act's prohibitions against racial discrimination in voting are permanent, there are special critical provisions of the Voting Rights Act that will expire in 2007. Expiring provisions that Congress should renew include sections of the Act that:
- Require certain states and many counties and townships throughout the country with significant language minority populations to provide bilingual election assistance, including bilingual ballots, election materials, and poll workers.
- Require jurisdictions with histories of voter exclusion and disenfranchisement to prove to federal authorities that any proposed changes to voting laws or procedures will not negatively impact minority voters.
- Allow for the deployment of poll observers and federal experts to jurisdictions with histories of voter exclusion.
Enforcement of the Voting Rights Act continues to be vital to achieving fair and effective representation for all Americans. The AFL-CIO and its affiliates wholeheartedly support and will work to secure re-authorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.