Similar to many female empowerment provisions, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 is fundamental legislation. The Act prohibits racial discrimination in voting and protects the right to due process of law. Despite the efforts to expand the scope of protection, two sections of the VRA were struck down by the U.S. in 2013 based on Shelby County v. Holder ruling.
- Background
Sections 4 and 5 of the VRA mandated the Department of Justice to have federal oversight of election laws in discriminatory jurisdictions. After being declared unconstitutional, districts can now impose voting practices and procedures without a federal review for possible discriminatory actions. You can learn more about this in our mentorship program in Georgia. - Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015
To address existing discrimination in voting, especially for southern black communities, the Voting Rights Advancement Act (Advancement Act) was introduced in Congress on June 24, 2015. One of the goals of the Advancement Act is to streamline the preclearance process to cover states with a pattern of discrimination, which could be risky to voters. We, at Agirlsfrontier.org, support this provision. - Where We Stand
Our nonprofit organization in Atlanta, Georgia believes that the Advancement Act is vital in advancing Voting Rights for women and people of color. We hope that the Act will find more support both from the House and the Senate. We want to emphasize that three of the Supreme Court justices who dissented against Shelby County v. Holder are women, including the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
If you are looking for organizations funding education and supporting women’s rights and voters’ rights, feel free to get in touch with us.