To honor John Lewis, revitalize the Voting Rights Act and pass the HEROES Act
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President Barack Obama presents late Rep. John Lewis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File
By Rene Hill
This past few weeks saw the death of Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, a hero of the civil rights movement. Citizens and lawmakers from across the political spectrum mourned his death and celebrated his life.
However, at Rep. Lewis’ funeral, former President Barack Obama issued a stark warning: that the voting rights and equal opportunity that John Lewis championed throughout his life are seriously threatened as we approach the 2020 elections.
This week marks the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965.
Other than Dr. Martin Luther King, in my opinion no person in history is more responsible for the passage of this act than John Lewis, whose vicious beating on the Edward Pettus Bridge in Alabama shocked the nation and led directly to this law being passed.
This legislation guaranteed equal voting rights for all Americans and outlawed voting obstacles such as poll taxes, literacy tests and the closing of polling places. For many years this discrimination was prevalent in Southern and Western states and because of these practices, the law required such states to get pre-clearance from the U.S. Dept. of Justice before they could change their voting regulations.
The Voting Rights Act was tremendously effective in preventing voter discrimination in the areas it covered. However in 2013, Shelby County, Alabama, sued to void key sections of the Act, and the Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote eliminated the critical requirement that those states get pre-clearance before changing their voting laws.
This ruling opened the floodgates for Republican-led states to enact obstacles to voting.
Based on a report by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, at least 1,688 polling places have been closed between 2012 and 2018, almost all in states formerly covered by the Voting Rights Act.
States have shortened voting hours, blocked voter registration, purged voter rolls and implemented voter identification laws. These have disproportionately affected voters of color.
The Supreme Court in 2013 said that Congress could rewrite this key provision of the Voting Rights Act, but the Republicans have refused to do so, claiming there is no evidence of voter suppression.
In reality voter suppression is increasing, and its chief proponent is Donald Trump. The president has undermined and refused to fund the U.S. Postal Service, and denounced mail in voting as a “fraud” at a time when COVID-19 can mean risking one’s health by voting in person.
The president now has threatened to sue the state of Nevada, which just passed mail-in ballot legislation.
Even more devastating, the Senate Republicans have refused to support the HEROES Act.
This legislation, passed by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, contains $3.6 billion to help states deal with the projected increases in mail-in voting as well as other provisions making voting easier. The HEROES Act also includes a request for a 120 day Census filing extension.
President Obama ended his eulogy to Rep. John Lewis by stating “you want to honor John Lewis? Honor him by revitalizing the Voting Rights Act that he was willing to die for!”
President Obama is right. Congress should renew the Voting Rights Act, and Congress should pass the HEROES Act.
The future of our democracy demands no less.
Rene Hill is chair of Queens Community Board 12.
