In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed to help enforce the 15th Amendment, which states that obstacles to the ballot box such as reading tests or complicated ballot instructions are against the law. The Voting Rights Act encouraged Black Americans to register to vote after many years of being blocked from the polls. Even today, there are continued efforts by some to make it difficult for certain groups of people to vote, which is called voter suppression. Some examples are: demanding a photo i.d. (which some people do not have), limiting polling station hours and locations and many more. Civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis recognized that voting rights are in danger across the country, especially in his home state of Georgia. In order to improve voting rights for all of us, he and other members of congress passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act in the US House of Representatives in 2019. John R. Lewis died in July of 2020; it was his dying wish to restore and protect the voting rights of all Americans. The updated Voting Rights Act, now named The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020 in his honor, has not yet passed in the Senate. However, many people have been inspired by John Lewis's example, and are working hard to make sure that voting is fair for all, especially in the very important presidential election on November 3.
Watch this read aloud video of Granddaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box by Eric Stein and Michael S. Bandy, a story about the long road to voting rights for many Black Americans.
In this video, Congressman John Lewis speaks on the House Floor about protecting and strengthening the right of all Americans to vote and in support of H.R. 12, the Voter Empowerment Act.
In 1965, John Lewis helped lead a march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. Marchers were attacked by state troopers on the Edmund Pettis Bridge, but they pressed on and returned in the following days to make their voices heard. On the 50th anniversary of the March, President Obama joined thousands of people to commemorate this important event. Click here for videos and pictures from that day.