August 6 2025 marks the 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed racial discrimination in voting and established procedures to protect equal access to the vote for every American citizen.  The VRA identified the places where discrimination was most likely to occur and established a process to prevent discriminatory policies from taking effect in these places.

As a result, the number of voters of color and elected officials of color swelled. The number of registered Black voters increased from less than a million in 1965 to nearly 3.6 million in 1986.  Due to its success, Congress reauthorized the VRA five times with strong bipartisan support. 

But in 2013, the Supreme Court decision "Shelby vs Holder" overturned a key provision of the VRA.  Since that decision, politicians in states, counties, cities, and towns across the country have passed laws and adopted practices that discriminate against voters of color and language minorities -- making it harder for them to register and more difficult to vote.

This year the LWV supports important new legislation, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA), that will restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act will restore the provisions stripped from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 while modernizing provisions that guarantee all voters, specifically voters of color, can exercise their right to vote. We commend the Senate on reintroducing this critical piece of legislation.   

“A true democracy is where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.