The Voting Rights Act

From: Donna Brazile
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 11:38 AM
To: Kirk Tanter
Subject: The Voting Rights Act

Kirk --

The Voting Rights Act, first signed into law in 1965, was a keystone victory of the civil rights movement. American citizens withstood beatings, fire hoses and dogs to see the law passed. Some even gave their lives.

And for decades since, the law has protected the right to vote for millions of America's citizens -- regardless of faith, color or creed.

Today's ruling by the Supreme Court striking down parts of this important law is more than a disappointment -- it's an injustice. But we can't let it discourage us or force us out of this fight.

There is so much more work we can do to ensure everyone has the right -- and the ability -- to vote. That's the work Democrats are doing every day.

In the last few years, Republicans have dramatically stepped up their efforts to limit voting access. They've tried passing restrictive voter ID laws, cutting back early-voting hours, and eliminating same-day voter registration. The list goes on.

These threats are real. I'm sure you saw the images of long lines at the polls in Florida last November -- or heard about the voter ID laws Republicans tried to pass in Ohio and North Carolina.

The good news is that Democrats have organized and stopped many of these Republican attempts -- and we're going to continue to stand guard to stop future Republican attacks, and work to expand voting access state by state. Because a belief that our electoral system works best when all of our voices are heard is essential to who we are as Democrats.

We faced a setback with the Supreme Court's decision today, First Name. I can't sugarcoat that. But I hope you won't give up, because let me tell you -- I am most certainly not giving up.


Thanks,

Donna

Donna Brazile
Vice-Chair for Voter Registration and Participation
Democratic National Committee