August 6, 2018 marks the 53rd anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965. The passage of this act was a historic moment for our nation and is known as one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation ever passed.
DCCC Director of African American Media and Deputy National Press Secretary, Kamau Marshall issued the following statement:
“The Voting Rights Act is one of the great protectors of our democracy. Unfortunately, Republicans continue to take extreme efforts to suppress the vote, by curbing early vote periods, cutting back on voting hours, and enacting discriminatory voter ID laws. The heroes of Selma, all of the civil rights advocates, and our brave women and men in uniform have sacrificed so much to defend and advance the right to vote in America. We can’t let them down.
“As a country, we must preserve and strengthen our country’s democratic foundation, fulfill the legacy of the 1965 Act by passing stronger voter protections for all and most importantly — ensuring that all voters, including those who are black or brown, elderly or a student, have unconstrained access to the ballot box.”