Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) announced that she will chair the House Judiciary Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee hearing on “Oversight of the Voting Rights Act: A Continuing Record of Discrimination,” on Thursday, May 27th at 10 AM.
Rep. Ross, the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee, has been an outspoken advocate for voting rights. Recently, she penned an op-ed highlighting H.R. 1 and the importance of voting.
“As a North Carolinian and former State Representative, I have seen up close how the gutting of the Voting Rights Act’s preclearance formula has led to increased efforts to erode the right to vote and undermine the foundation of our democracy. Since 2013, when the preclearance formula was effectively eliminated, numerous states have introduced legislation designed to restrict voting,” said Congresswoman Ross. “Tomorrow’s hearing will serve to illuminate the widespread harm these laws inflict and the urgent need for Congress to fortify our democracy against voter suppression. We must tackle head on the politics of discrimination and exclusion that drives these efforts to undermine core American values. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses and working with my colleagues on the Committee to explore and rectify this grave issue.”
WHEN:
Thursday, May 27, 2021
10 AM ET
WHERE:
House Judiciary Committee YouTube
Background
The Supreme Court has described the right to vote as the one right that is preservative of all others. Since the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (“VRA”)—considered the most effective civil rights statute ever enacted by Congress—the right to vote has been under constant assault. Federal action to enforce voting rights, however, has sharply declined, and numerous states have taken significant steps to restrict the right to vote, particularly in the past decade. The objective of this hearing is to emphasize that the federal government has been engaged in an extended effort to remedy voter discrimination, which continues to persist and evolve in form despite the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
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