Renewing the Voting Rights Act

The Associated Press is currently reporting that a group of Congressional insiders have come together to block the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.

In 1965, Congress passed this legislation to enfranchise African-American voters, particularly in the South, through abolishing poll taxes and literacy tests and requiring states and counties with a history of voter suppression to get permission before making changes to electoral law. While there are some who have criticisms of the bill, it is one of the most successful and important pieces of legislation in the last century, a landmark law that was extremely effective in allowing all Americans to participate in the electoral process.

Although state legislators do not play a direct role in the renewal of the law, Mike urges Congress to pass an extension to the Voting Rights Act to ensure that all Americans -- and all Oregonians -- can exercise their right to vote.