VOTING RIGHTS - CIVIL RIGHTS LAW
Discrimination in Voting
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 protects every American against racial discrimination in voting. This law also protects the voting rights of many people who have limited English skills. It stands for the principle that everyone's vote is equal, and that neither race nor language should shut any of us out of the political process. You can find the Voting Rights Act in the United States Code at 42 U.S.C. 1973 to 1973aa-6.
Where did the Voting Rights Act come from?
Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, at the height of the civil rights movement in the South, a movement committed to securing equal voting rights for African Americans. The action came immediately after one of the most important events of that movement, a clash between black civil rights marchers and white police in Selma, Alabama.
The marchers were starting a 50-mile walk to the state capital, Montgomery, to demand equal rights in voting, when police used violence to disperse them. What happened that day in Selma shocked the nation, and led President Johnson to call for immediate passage of a strong federal voting rights law.
What does the Voting Rights Act do?
The Voting Rights Act bans all kinds of racial discrimination in voting. For years, many states had laws on their books that served only to prevent minority citizens from voting. Some of these laws required people to take a reading test or interpret some passage out of the Constitution in order to vote, or required people registering to vote to bring someone already registered who would vouch for their "good character."
The Voting Rights Act made these and other discriminatory practices illegal, and gave private citizens the right to sue in federal court to stop them. In recent times, courts have applied the Act to end race discrimination in the method of electing state and local legislative bodies and in the choosing of poll officials.
FAQ'S About Voting:
- What kinds of racial discrimination in voting are there, and what does the Voting Rights Act do about them?
- Is it prohibited to draw majority-minority districts?
- What does the Justice Department do to enforce the Voting Rights Act?
- What is Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act?
- What is the Justice Department's role under Section 5?
- I work for a covered jurisdiction and have the duty to make our Section 5 submissions. What do I need to do to comply with the law?
- Can individuals have their views considered in the Section 5 review process?
- MORE FAQ'S
