NPP Commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the Passage of the Voting Rights Act
CHESTER, PA – The New Pennsylvania Project (NPP) will be commemorating the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act on August 6th by doing what the nonpartisan organization has been doing for four years, year-round and statewide. NPP will be registering Pennsylvanians to vote and providing the civic engagement and education necessary to turn the newly registered into voters in the Commonwealth.
NPP founding CEO Kadida Kenner stated,
“With continued attacks on our freedom to vote coming from the federal government, and pending legislation such as the SAVE Act that will disenfranchise marginalized voters, it’s paramount that Pennsylvanians contact their U.S. Congresspeople and let them know that there is no better day than today to support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Our civic duty doesn’t end on election day at the polls. It carries over into all the days following elections, to hold our elected officials accountable and advocate for the advancement of our rights and freedoms – especially our voting rights. The Voting Rights Act was passed 60 years ago and our voting rights are still at risk today.”
Background: The VRA was a direct Congressional response to the systemic disenfranchisement of Black voters in the South, where literacy tests, poll taxes, and other barriers were used to prevent them from exercising their freedom to vote.
The VRA became law five months after the Civil Rights Movement’s Selma-to-Montgomery March in 1965. This strengthened voting rights across the United States, prohibiting racial discrimination at federal, state, and local levels, in accordance with the 15th Amendment.
The VRA also established federal oversight to protect voting rights, particularly in areas with a history of discriminatory practices. The right to vote without discrimination is a permanent part of the Act. However, there are enforcement-related provisions that have limits and requires reauthorization.
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The New Pennsylvania Project (NPP) is a voting rights organization with a year-round primary focus on voter registration, civic education and mobilization. NPP centers historically disenfranchised and often neglected Black, Indigenous and other people of color, immigrant communities, and the youth in our work. Through civic engagement, we ensure all eligible voters feel compelled to exercise their freedom to vote in the Commonwealth.
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Media Contact: Kelly Zimmerman, Chief Strategy & Organizing Officer, media@newpaproject.org, (484) 639 8922