Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson Celebrates the 48th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Washington, DC – (Tuesday, August 6, 2013) – Today marks the 48th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act becoming law. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional. Section 4 established the formula used to determine which states must receive preclearance from the federal government before changing its voting laws. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson released the following statement on the continued need to secure equal voting protection for all Americans:  

“For 48 years, the Voting Rights Act has protected minorities’ right to vote. However, many people, including the U.S. Supreme Court Justices that turned down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, assert that our country has changed, and that the Voting Rights Act is no longer needed. Although voter intimidation today may not be as blatant as poll taxes or literacy tests, it still exists in more devious forms, such as burdensome voter ID laws that aim to oppress minorities. A prime example for the need of the Voting Rights Act is Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott’s swift decision to enforce voter ID laws immediately following the Supreme Court’s ruling. Texas has a long and detailed history of voter suppression, and Attorney General Abbott is continuing down the same path. He is an elected official that should be looking out for all Texans, but his recent decisions indicate that minorities are not included.  The minority population does not only include African Americans and Hispanics, but also the elderly and those that live in the most rural parts of the country. The Voting Rights Act will remain relevant and necessary, as it was in 1965, until all American’s are able to cast their ballots without fear of suppression.”

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  U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a Ranking member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Kessler Park, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, South Dallas & South Oak Cliff; all of Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Ferris, Glenn Heights, South Grand Prairie, Oak Lawn, Ovilla, Uptown/Victory Park and West Dallas.