Enact The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025

In 1965 the Voting Rights Act became law. Its aim was to make sure that all Americans could vote and that the states and localities did not impede their right to vote. In 2013 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in the case Shelby County v. Holder. The Court ruled that the formula for deciding which states and localities have a history of voting discrimination (and were therefore required to pre-approve changes in voting laws and practices) was unconstitutional. This severely weakened the federal government’s oversight of discriminatory voting practices. Since the Supreme Court’s decision, states and localities have brazenly pushed forward discriminatory changes to voting practices, such as changing district boundaries to disadvantage select voters, instituting more onerous voter identification laws, and changing polling locations with little notice. These changes have had a negative effect on the ability to vote aimed at the poor, disabled and minorities. Fortunately, the Supreme Court’s decision was limited in scope and they recommended Congress create a new formula. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act does just that and restores the protections of the Voting Rights Act by: 1. Modernizing the formula determining which states and localities have a pattern of discrimination; 2. Ensuring that last-minute voting changes do not adversely affect voters by requiring officials to publicly announce all voting changes at least 180 days before an election; and 3. Expanding the government’s authority to send federal observers to any jurisdiction where there may be a substantial risk of discrimination at the polls on Election Day or during an early voting period. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is H.R. 14 and I want you to do everything in your power to make sure it becomes law so we all have the opportunity to have a voice and express our opinions about how we move forward as a democratic country ruled by the people. Thank you.