Dear Friend,

There is nothing more fundamental to our democracy than our constitutional right to vote. That’s why the American Humanist Association is proud to support the recent reintroduction of the Voting Rights Amendment Act (VRAA) of 2017, which would fully restore and modernize the original Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965.

One of the VRA’s core protections is its preclearance system, which previously required states with a documented history of discrimination to allow the federal government to review changes to voting laws and practices before they were implemented. This provision was struck down in 2013 by the Supreme Court in Shelby v. Holder, where the court held that while preclearance is constitutional; it is unconstitutional to apply it to states based on the 1965 formula.

The VRAA was crafted and introduced to conform with this ruling while also making sure that the voting rights of Americans are protected. In order for the original Voting Rights Act to still be impactful, we need the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2017 to become law. But in order to do that, we need your help. Can you take a moment right now to contact your Representative and ask that they co-sponsor this important bill?

No matter which party you vote for or which politician you support, the right to vote is sacrosanct. Join us in supporting this bill by asking your Representative to co-sponsor the VRAA.

Thank you for standing up for voting rights and democracy.

Sincerely,

Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director