May 20: 33rd anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act

May 20: 33rd anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act

Type: 
News

Celebrate the anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act!    Register to vote today and make your voice heard.

May 20 marks the 33rd anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)'s signing into law.  Thirty-three years of the NVRA have allowed millions of Americans to register to vote and ensured that states promote voter registration through normal government processes. But the law has also been challenged by attempts to attach citizenship requirements to voter registration, block registration at motor vehicle centers, roll back list maintenance practices in the law and avoid compliance altogether.  

Last week, on April 29, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Louisiana v. Callais, a landmark voting rights case. Read the Leagues' response to the Supreme Court's decision. The decision weakens key protections of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.  The case involved Louisiana's creation of a congressional district that would serve as the state's second opportunity seat for African American voters. By a 6-to-3 decision, the high court ruled this constituted an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander."  However, the Supreme Court kept Section 2 in place.

What is Louisiana v. Callais

 

League to which this content belongs: 
North Santa Barbara County