Skip to main content

Two Years After the Voting Rights Act Was Gutted, We Need It More Than Ever

On June 17, a terrorist entered Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, and took the lives of nine of our fellow citizens in a raw display of hatred and racism. This act was a reminder that we are not, in fact, a post-racial society, and that the false comfort of colorblindness will not cure the insidious and deep-seated racism that continues to plague our country.

In the immediate aftermath of this horrific crime, the impetus for action was great. Within hours many people began to focus on eradicating another very public display of racism in South Carolina: the flying of the Confederate flag on the grounds of the state capitol. The #TakeItDown hashtag was trending on Twitter within hours of the shooting. A few days later, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced that she supported the flag’s removal. The state legislature is likely to follow suit.

But while taking down the flag is an important victory, it is not the answer to the effects of structural racism that continue to plague the black community. 

Two years ago this month, in Shelby Co. v. Holder, the Supreme Court gutted the major enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that protected black voters from racial discrimination for 50 years. That means that a black voter has fewer protections against racial discrimination today than he or she would have had in 1966.

Last week, Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act. This bill would restore the Voting Rights Act by reinstating the requirement that states that show a recent pattern of discrimination against minority voters undergo special scrutiny of their attempts to change their voting laws. The law also promotes transparency by requiring that states and counties notify the public of proposed changes to voting laws, broadens the authority of federal courts to impose effective remedies in voting rights cases, and allows for enhanced federal monitoring at polling places. 

The work of enfranchisement is the work of giving voice to the disempowered. Now more than ever, in the shadow of tragedy, we must uplift and empower those voices. We must acknowledge the realities of racism and work to protect the rights of those affected to speak loudly for deeper change. This is why we must continue to work to support policies that ensure that blacks and other racial and ethnic minorities have a strong and equal voice in our political process.

The most fundamental bargain of our system of governmentgovernment that is to be of the people, by the people, and for the peopleis that citizens who suffer from poor schools, police violence, and other ills can hold officials accountable through the ballot box. When that core right is compromised it oppresses minority communities far more powerfully than flying the Confederate flag ever could.

Read more

Subscribe to updates about Open Society’s work around the world

By entering your email address and clicking “Submit,” you agree to receive updates from the Open Society Foundations about our work. To learn more about how we use and protect your personal data, please view our privacy policy.