Skip to main content

CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE SUPPORTS PROTECTING VOTING RIGHTS FOR ALL AMERICANS

February 26, 2013

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee released the following statement regarding the United States Supreme Court review of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby v. Holder. Members of Congress, civil rights leaders and organizations, and hundreds of supporters of protecting the right to vote for all Americans will gather on the steps of the Supreme Court as the arguments are heard.

“The Voting Rights Act is still one of the most critical and successful pieces of legislation that protects the right to vote for all Americans. This challenge to Section 5 of the VRA is a threat to the basic principle of our democracy that every citizen’s voice should be heard and their vote protected by our government. It also puts voters who are likely to be disenfranchised through nefarious practices across this country at risk.

“This is not an issue of race or of political ideology. It is a threat to the very fabric on which our democracy was built and the foundation upon which it stands. We should not be making it more difficult for voters to cast their ballot. We should be working to do everything we can to improve access and participation in the democratic process.

“I encourage my colleagues and constituents to stand with me in opposition to any effort that endangers our democracy.”