SCOTUS Voting Rights Act Decision is a Major Setback

This week, The Supreme Court effectively gutted what was left of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) – now leaving only a husk of the landmark civil rights legislation in its wake. The VRA prohibited states from denying citizens the right to vote based on race, included provisions that banned states from implementing discriminatory voting practices, and required jurisdictions with a history of voter discrimination to obtain preclearance before enforcing a new voting policy – a truly historic victory in the fight for civil rights and fair representation.

Yet in recent years, voting rights have faced significant setbacks at the federal, state, and local levels, further enabled by the 2013 Supreme Court case, Shelby County v Holder. The court ruled that states with a history of voter discrimination no longer had to receive federal approval before changing their voting laws. This enabled states to pass restrictive voting policies and close thousands of polling locations, disproportionately affecting communities of color and low-income individuals.

And, this week, The Supreme Court ended another key protection of the VRA that guaranteed communities of color the right to fair congressional districts, opening the flood gates for politicians to gerrymander and dilute the voting power of Black communities – and ruling that congressional maps have to be proven to have discriminatory intent, not just discriminatory outcomes.

This decision actively silences the communities that have fought hardest for fair voting rights and access. At YWCA Columbus, our mission is rooted in the elimination of racism, and that means firmly opposing any ruling that enables voter suppression and erases equal representation. Every voice deserves to be heard. Every vote deserves to count.

Join YWCA Columbus, The League of Women Voters of Metro Columbus, COHHIO, and American Association of People with Disabilities for a virtual panel on May 15th to discuss the potential impact of this ruling, along other barriers to a truly inclusive, multiracial democracy.