Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) voted to pass H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, crucial legislation to restore the fundamental guarantees of the Voting Rights Act and protect the right to vote in the face of sweeping voter suppression efforts in states across the country. The legislation will strengthen key sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were eviscerated by the Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013 and the recent Brnovich v. DNC decision.
“In my decades long experience as a civil rights attorney and state legislator in North Carolina, I have seen our state become a key battleground in the fight for voting rights, and I advocated on voting rights issues like those we see today,” said Congresswoman Ross. “The history of the fight for voting rights in America is long and painful. But at crucial forks on that difficult path, members of this body from both parties set politics aside and did the right thing. Today, House Democrats met the urgency of this moment and lived up to our constitutional responsibilities by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It’s time for the Senate to take action and protect this fundamental cornerstone of our democracy.”
Since January, 18 states have enacted 30 voter suppression laws. H.R. 4 will prevent discriminatory voting practices, like racial gerrymandering and strict voter ID laws, before they have a chance to take root by reestablishing Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act with an updated preclearance formula. It will also reinvigorate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to reduce the heightened standard for challenging discriminatory voting laws established in Brnovich v. DNC.
Congresswoman Ross is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, which has held multiple hearings in recent months to examine legislative solutions to state-led voter suppression efforts.
Congresswoman Ross is a cosponsor of H.R. 4 and spoke in support of the legislation in a House Rules Committee hearing and on the House floor. A previous version of H.R. 4 passed the House of Representatives during the 116th Congress.
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