50 Years Later, The Fight To Protect Voting Rights Continues

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) today released the following statement in observance of the 50^th Anniversary of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965:

“50 years ago, Democrats and Republicans set aside partisan divisions to enact the Voting Rights Act – the Crown Jewel of our civil rights laws.  A little more than 40 years after the bill’s enactment, America elected its first African American president.

“Today, second generation voting barriers – voter ID laws, limits on early voting, bans on voting for ex-felons, and most recently, the Supreme Court’s elimination of Section 5 pre-clearance provisions – threaten to dismantle voting rights for minorities, seniors, young people and other historically-disadvantaged Americans.

“As the only current serving Member of Congress who voted for the Voting Rights Act in 1965, I implore all of my congressional colleagues to again come together: to protect the right to vote for all citizens, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or language ability, and thus safeguard Democracy itself.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©