Rep. Susie Lee Helps House Pass Historic, Bipartisan Voting Rights Advancement Act

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (Nev.-03) helped the U.S. House of Representatives pass H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, introduced by Rep. Terri Sewell (Ala.-07). This bipartisan bill finally restores the full strength of the original bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965 with increased election transparency and provisions to fight voter discrimination.

"The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy," said Rep. Lee. "Our Founding Fathers crafted the Constitution with this basic fact in mind, knowing that democracies live or die by the integrity of their elections. Unfortunately, American elections have never been truly equal across race, ZIP code, and socioeconomic status. While the 14th, 15th, and 19th Amendments granted minority groups and women the right to vote, they still did not give many Americans equal access to exercise that right. To this day, communities across America are fighting discriminatory obstacles to voting, which is not just unfair, it's un-American. The bipartisan Voting Rights Advancement Act helps tackle voter suppression head-on, fulfilling the Constitution's promise that every American has an equal voice in our democracy."

BACKGROUND:An extensive review by the House Judiciary Committee found that, since the Shelby County decision in 2013, at least 23 states have enacted newly restrictive statewide voting laws, including:

• Burdensome voter registration barriers;
• Unfairly purging voters from rolls;
• Curtailing of early voting hours; and
• Moving or eliminating polling places.

This bill includes important provisions to reinstate voter protections, including:

• Allows a federal court to order states or jurisdictions to be covered for results-based violations, where the effect of a particular voting measure is racial discrimination in voting and denying citizens their right to vote;
• Increases transparency by requiring reasonable public notice for voting changes;
• Allows the Attorney General authority to request the presence of federal observers anywhere in the country where there is a serious threat of racial discrimination in voting.