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On November 3, 2021, something tragic occurred in Congress. Yet again, advancements on the John R Lewis Act failed, being blocked by Senate Republicans.
This legislation would have restored the deep-rooted discrimination within the voting system and assisted those of an ethnic background such as African Americans and Latinos with more substantial voting rights.
In addition, if passed, it would have removed the requirement of many states to be precleared before making their vote. The John Lewis Act would have also ensured that certain restrictions were abolished, such as strict voter ID requirements. However, America's fate was sealed on November 3, and Black Activists are left with no option but to continue the tiresome battle to obtain equality in the country. Something we are all too familiar with.
The purpose of this article will be to explore the history of voting rights in America and look at potential reasons as to why Black America is still facing issues such as these thousands of years later.
We Need To Take A Look Back In History
To understand what took place in Congress, we need to understand previous events in history. The John R Lewis Act takes its form from the Voting Rights Act, which was passed on May 26, 1965.
Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency in November 1963. Johnson won the 1964 presidential election by a landslide and used the mandate from this election to push for legislation that he believed would improve the American way of life, such as more access to voting.
The new president attempted to take several steps to improve voting rights for African Americans; one of those was having the 15th Amendment ratified in 1870. This came about due to the 15th Amendment denying men from the South the right to vote, purely based on their race.
Often, election officials told black people who attempted to vote that they had gotten the date, time, or polling place incorrectly, were of insufficient literacy, or had erroneously filled out their applications. A large percentage of black people were illiterate due to centuries of oppression and poverty and were often forced to take literacy tests, which they often failed.
Johnson felt the need to bring forward the Voting Rights Act 1965 following the awful mistreatment of African Americans during the Selma to Montgomery March. What was meant to be a peaceful protest turned into a bloodbath with protesters being severely beaten by Alabama state troopers. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965, with Martin Luther King Junior and other civil rights leaders present at the ceremony.
The act banned the use of literacy tests provided for federal oversight of voter registration in areas where less than 50 percent of the non-white population had not registered to vote. It authorized the U.S. attorney general to investigate the use of poll taxes in state and local elections.
Changes to the Voting Rights Act
July 1, 1971: 18 and Up Can Vote-President Richard Nixon signs the 26th Amendment, granting the right to vote to U.S. citizens over the age of 18. This bill prohibits discrimination based upon age, mainly because a large number of young people between the ages of 18-20 fought in Vietnam.
August 6, 1975: Rights for Non-English-Speaking Voters-Gerald Ford signs into law amendments to the Voting Rights Act that prohibit literacy tests and other discriminatory voting requirements and require districts with a significant number of non-English-speaking voters to provide instructions or assistance in registering and voting.
June 29, 1982: Voting Rights Act Extended-Voting Rights Act extension signed by Ronald Reagan for 25 years. Revisions also reverse recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, making voting easier for people with disabilities and the elderly.
The Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984 makes voting accessible-The Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984 requires polling places to be accessible to people who are disabled or elderly. It also specifies that an alternative way to vote on Election Day must be offered if no accessible location is available.
May 20, 1993: Voter Registration Through DMVs-Also known as the "motor voter" law, the National Voters Act 1993 is signed into law by President Bill Clinton. It requires state motor vehicle agencies to offer voter registration opportunities, states to offer mail-in voter registration applications, states to maintain current and accurate voter registration lists, and opportunities to register to vote at certain state and local offices. In its first year, 30 million-plus voters update or complete their registration.
June 25, 2013: Voting Rights Act Walked Back-Shelby County v. Holder, the United States Supreme Court tosses out Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act, saying it is obsolete, in a 5-4 decision, because of the federal review of state voting procedures, known as preclearance, places restrictions on states. Seen as a blow to civil rights activists, since the ruling, which affected nine states and several counties and townships, a federal commission found at least 23 states had enacted "newly restrictive statewide voter laws." These include polling place closures, voter ID laws, limiting early voting, and more.
Evaluation
Racism in voting is no longer a problem, according to opponents of the bill. Committee ranking member Grassley stated that we "recently had a record turnout for minority voters," and Rokita mentioned that "there is no evidence that voter suppression is on the rise.
Sadly, these views do not reflect the reality of America today, where racism and voter suppression are alive and well. Notwithstanding the Republicans' cherry-picked data, participation by non-white voters still lags behind that of white voters. While the 2020 election featured record turnout overall, only 58.4 percent of non-white voters cast ballots compared to 70.9 percent of white voters, a turnout gap of 12.5 percent. This turnout gap has been growing since 2012 — the last presidential election before Shelby County — when it reached its narrowest at 8.0 percent. And the gap is growing faster in states likely to be covered by preclearance than in the rest of the country.
The bill's opponents also ignore that laws and practices designed to suppress voters of color remain far too familiar. White men have been able to vote for 234 years in America compared to the 47 years Black voters have had without having to take a literacy test. Black voters have been bombarded with every trick in the book of voter suppression from counting jellybeans in jars, burning crosses, and , gerrymandering. There was ample evidence of voter suppression and discriminatory conduct in the 2020 election cycle against Black voters. The State of Georgia purged thousands of disproportionately non-white voters from the rolls, North Carolina rejected Black voters' ballots almost twice as often as white voters' ballots, and Texas allowed only a single drop-off location for mail ballots per county of it’s minority voters. There were instances of race-based voter intimidation, harassment of minority election observers, and threats to election officials. Voter suppression remains on the rise today. In 2021 alone, at least 19 states enacted at least 34 laws that make it harder to vote, while at least 13 restrictive voting bills have been pre-filed for 2022 legislative sessions, and no fewer than 152 restrictive voting bills will carry over from last year.
Personally, I feel we have a long way to go when It comes to fighting for our rights; however, we have a resilient spirit and always find a way. Black voters have faced dogs, police, water-houses, burning torches so a long line will not stop us. Hopefully, with time, voting rights for African Americans in America can be taken seriously and until then we remain unbothered.
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