Rep. Stansbury Releases Statement on the Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

ALBUQUERQUE—U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) released the following statement on the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act being enacted into law:

“Protecting and advancing voting rights is critical to our democracy, the fight for justice and equality, and delivering on the promise of what it means to be an American.  In an election year – where protecting the future of our democracy is on the line and voting rights have been undermined across the country—we must honor the Voting Rights Act by ensuring that every voter has access to the ballot box,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01). “This is not a fight from the past. This is a battle happening right now in states across the country. From court decisions to gerrymandering, the GOP has worked to disenfranchise millions of Americans. I am proud to have co-sponsored the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Protecting Our Democracy Act, and to be from a state that has passed some of the most forward-leaning voting rights legislation in the country, and will continue this fight every day until voting rights are protected across the country.”

Rep. Stansbury is a co-sponsor of the Protecting Our Democracy Act. She also co-sponsored and voted to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act out of the House of Representatives last Congress. Unfortunately, that legislation did not pass the Senate. Protecting the Voting Rights Act is one of the House Democratic Caucus’s top priorities when they return to the Majority. 

HISTORY OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

The Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965. The legislation outlawed discriminatory voting practices. The law was adopted to ensure states followed the 15th Amendment’s guarantee that the right to vote would not be denied and is considered one of the most important pieces of Civil Rights legislation in American history.

###