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By Congressman Allen Boyd (D-FL)
On August 6, the United States will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965. One of the most significant pieces of legislation enacted during the 20th Century, the Voting Rights Act worked to end the techniques that had been used for decades to deny millions of minorities the right to vote and helped ensure one of our most fundamental rights-the right of every citizen to participate in the political process.
The right to choose one's representatives in the voting booth is the basis of a free, democratic society. Without a meaningful vote, there can be no equality before the law, no equal access, and no equal opportunity. Yet, for a hundred years after the Civil War, millions of African Americans were denied this fundamental right, despite the 15th Amendment to the Constitution that prohibited the denial of the right to vote on the basis of race. Poll taxes, literacy tests and even physical violence were used to deny African Americans their legal right to vote.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 sought to reverse this disenfranchisement. A champion of civil rights causes throughout his administration, President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered a momentous speech to Congress on March 15, 1965, in which he stated, "The Constitution says that no person shall be kept from voting because of his race or his color. We have all sworn an oath before God to support and to defend that Constitution. We must now act in obedience to that oath." It is this oath and this basic American ideal that the Voting Rights Act helps to protect.
The horrific attack on protesters in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965, commonly known as "Bloody Sunday," awakened the American conscience and stimulated the immediate need for legislation to reflect the changing American attitude toward racial equality. Signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Johnson, the Voting Rights Act provided extensive protections by prohibiting any voting practice that would abridge the right to vote on the basis of race. Any "test or device" for registering or voting was outlawed, effectively abolishing poll taxes and literacy tests. It also provided for criminal and civil sanctions against persons interfering with the right to vote.
Since 1965, the Voting Rights Act has been extended three times in 1970, 1975, and 1982. Changes have included increasing the Act's scope to cover non-English speaking minorities such as Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and other minority groups with the requirement of bilingual ballots and voting assistance. In addition, the Voting Rights Act was amended in 1982 to protect the rights of voters with disabilities. Our nation's history is one of expanding rights, and it is imperative that we adjust our laws to protect the rights of all Americans.
In 2007, several key protections contained in the Voting Rights Act will expire, including the requirement of bilingual ballots as well as the "pre-clearance" provisions, which allow the federal government to prevent discriminatory voting laws. We must renew our determination to remove all obstacles to the right to vote. I will work to reauthorize the sections of the Voting Rights Act that are set to expire in 2007. We cannot let discriminatory practices of the past resurface to threaten future gains.
The passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was a crucial step in our development as a free country, and this legislation must continue to exist, and exist in its current form. On the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, I ask you to join me in recognizing the significance of our nation's ideals of equality and opportunity and the importance of the right to vote for all citizens.
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