Press Release
March 5, 2025
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Provides Essential Protections
WASHINGTON – In response to the reintroduction of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (JLVRAA), Susan Corke, executive director of State Democracy Defenders Fund released the following statement. The legislation was introduced today by Alabama Congresswoman Rep. Terri Sewell.
“This crucial legislation is not just about protecting the right to vote – it’s about confronting a long history of exclusion and disenfranchisement that has systemically targeted Black and Brown communities. For generations, these communities have faced deliberate barriers aimed to silence their voices, and exclude them from daily life, from Jim Crow tactics to modern-day voter suppression laws. At SDDF, we see defending access to the ballot as central to resisting the spread of authoritarianism, which relies on ostracizing those who are already marginalized.
“Introduced just a few days short of the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the JLVRAA arrives at a moment when an administration seeks to erase these hard truths from our history. If we don’t confront and remedy these truths, we’re doomed to repeat them. It is noteworthy that the passing of the first Voting Rights Act in 1965 was met with sweeping bipartisan support and it would be a disservice to democracy if Congress fails to approve this safeguard again.”