ACLU Urges House to Pass Clean Reauthorization of Voting Rights Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union urged the House to pass legislation to renew and restore the Voting Rights Act and to oppose amendments that would weaken the law. Tomorrow, the House is expected to consider the bipartisan and bicameral measure, “Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006” (H.R. 9). The act renews three key provisions that are set to expire in 2007. The House Judiciary Committee approved the legislation, in a near-unanimous vote last month.

The following can be attributed to Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office:

“The Voting Rights Act has helped transform the dream of democracy into reality for millions of U.S. citizens. H.R. 9 represents a tremendous bipartisan commitment to the continuation of that goal. The House Judiciary Committee sent this measure to the floor with only one dissenting vote – a clear sign of the commitment to protecting this fundamental American right.

“We urge Congress to support the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and reject any attempts to weaken one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in history. Indeed, at a time when Americans are witness to the growing promise of democratic freedoms around the world, we must ensure nothing less for all American citizens.”

To read more about the ACLU’s campaign to renew the Voting Rights Act, go to: www.aclu.org/voting-rights