Rep. McBride Joins as Original Co-Sponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, ahead of the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the historic Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Delaware’s Congresswoman Sarah McBride and House Democrats introduced H.R. 14, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA). The bill would restore and modernize the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and prevent states with a history of voter discrimination from erecting new barriers to the ballot box. 

“Democracy is strongest when every citizen can make their voice heard,” said Congresswoman Sarah McBride. “When I was elected to Congress, I promised to fight for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and to champion free and fair elections to strengthen our democracy and today I’m proud to join every single one of my colleagues today to reintroduce this critical piece of legislation. 

“Since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, extremists across our country have advanced hundreds of new laws to make it harder for Americans to vote. It is clear we need federal action to protect and expand voting rights and access. 

“Friday will mark 60 years since hundreds of Americans were attacked in Selma, Alabama while peacefully marching for the right to vote. Today, the fight for voting rights is just as urgent.”

For decades, the VRA prevented states with a history of voter discrimination from erecting new barriers to the ballot box, until it was gutted by the Supreme Court in the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision. Without its guardrails, state officials have enacted at least 94 restrictive voting laws, many in states with a history of racial voting discrimination. Subsequent Supreme Court decisions have further weakened the VRA, making it more difficult to challenge voter discrimination in court.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore and modernize the protections of the VRA. It would establish a modern-day framework to determine which states and localities have a recent history of voter discrimination and require those jurisdictions to pre-clear new voting law with the Department of Justice. 

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is cosponsored by every House Democrat and supported by more than 140 organizations across the nation.