North Carolina Voting Decision a Prime Example of Need for Congress to Restore the Voting Rights Act
WASHINGTON — Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after a federal appeals court partially blocked discriminatory election changes that would have denied many North Carolinians the right to cast ballots in the November 4th election. The state law in question was enacted one day after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013:
“This is a prime example of why Congress must restore the Voting Rights Act.
The day after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, the North Carolina legislature pushed through a bill that discriminates against African-American voters by putting up new barriers to voting procedures they rely on. Pre-Shelby, the legislature knew that this bill – the most restrictive voting bill in the nation — would have been blocked from taking effect by the Department of Justice. But after the Supreme Court eliminated that protection, legislators rushed to restrict ballot access for Black voters.
The 4th Circuit decision restores two important practices blocked by the North Carolina law — same-day registration and the ability for ballots cast out of precinct to be counted in the November election. While that’s good news for North Carolina’s voters, it is not a remedy for the millions of voters across the country who had their protections stripped by the Supreme Court last year. As the judges noted, ‘history without the Voting Rights Act’s preclearance requirements picked up where it left off in 1965.’
If we want to protect the right for all to vote, now is the time to restore the VRA. We call on Congress to do so without delay.”
Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
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