Voting Rights Act: September 2015 Discussion Topic

Having just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, LWVMpls members this month will be discussing the current state of voting rights.   Members will reexamine the original act, look at subsequent changes to the law especially since the Supreme Court decision in June 2013, Shelby County v. Holder, and discuss how the current bill introduced in Congress in June 2015, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, will mitigate some of those changes. We will also discuss actions we can take to support this bill as an organization and individuals.The following links will provide information about the history of the original act, highlight types of changes that have made and are being proposed to suppress voting rights, and information on the current bill before Congress.Copy of the original act with historical narrativeBlog from LWVUS about voter current voter suppression issuesAbout new bill introduced in Congress in JuneOne year analysis after ShelbyTwo year analysis after ShelbySummary and track progress of the current bill