The Gutting of the VRA is Heartbreaking and Pennsylvanians Won’t Allow Any Additional Attempts to Keep Us From the Ballot Box
(HARRISBURG) In regards to last Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling, New Pennsylvania Project’s founding CEO made the following statement about the 6-3 decision to strike down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district, and held that race-conscious redistricting under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) is unconstitutional.
“Please spare me from any sanitized quotes of Dr. King’s; a supposed colorblind society, of which we are not; and any misguided celebrations about the end of segregation and racism at the ballot box because of the Louisiana v. Callais decision. Gutting the Voting Rights Act of 1965, widely hailed as the “Crown Jewel” of the Civil Rights Movement, has been foundational in the creation of a multiracial democracy. People fought, bled, and died for these protections. Organizations such as the New Pennsylvania Project are working tirelessly, and year round to ensure voting rights are intact, and additional barriers to voting that disproportionately impact Black and brown communities, such as the SAVE America Act never become law – federally or in state government.
What happens in Louisiana doesn’t have to stay in Louisiana, but it won’t make its way to PA. The egregious ruling marks a fundamental shift in the constitutional understanding of equality, voting rights, and Congress’ power to enforce the Reconstruction Amendments (13th-15th Amendments). This decision eviscerates our nation’s most sacred voting rights protections; Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Thankfully, PA has a governor and one half of the General Assembly who would never allow the voices of Black and brown voices to go unheard at the ballot box.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court has once again chosen to encroach on Congress’ authority to enact laws that address racial discrimination by gutting the VRA.
The Court’s decision threatens to further divide our nation and entrench power in the hands of the few. It puts the diversity of our elected bodies and representation of all communities at risk.
We will see fair districts across Pennsylvania, as other states’ legislatures aim to gut representation for voters of color, especially Black voters, without checkpoints from the courts. Pennsylvanians came out last November at historic levels to protect our PA Supreme Court justices from being removed during the retention elections. Pennsylvanians, our courts, and our law makers will ensure our voting rights remain sacred.
We must continue to fight in the federal and state legislatures, in the courts, and at the ballot box for the future of our multiracial democracy. In America, voters choose their elected officials, elected officials should not have a role in choosing their constituents. Elections have consequences, and this November, Pennsylvanians need to vote their values and protect the freedom to vote for all eligible voters.”
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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, those who are justice impacted, immigrant communities, and the youth (under 35) 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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