Senator Baldwin, Colleagues Introduce Resolution Celebrating the 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her colleagues introduced a Senate Resolution to recognize, commemorate, and celebrate the 55th anniversary of the enactment of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. President Lyndon Johnson proposed the legislation just days after the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, during which the late Representative John Lewis was savagely beaten by law enforcement officers while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what was to become known as “Bloody Sunday.” The Voting Rights Act passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Johnson on August 6, 1965.
“Fifty five years ago the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law to protect the constitutional right to vote and this right remains under attack today. Our fight to take on voter suppression and ensure access to the ballot is not over,” said Senator Baldwin. “That is why we must take action and pass the bipartisan John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore full protections for all Americans’ right to vote. I am proud to join with my colleagues in the Senate to do right by John Lewis and work together to end voting discrimination so we can guarantee that all Americans have equal access to vote and let their voices be heard.”
Cosponsoring the resolution are Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tom Carper (D-DE), Doug Jones (D-AL), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
A copy of the Resolution can be found here.
Since 2013, many States have passed discriminatory voting laws that have made it more difficult for people of color and low-income individuals to vote in elections. Nearly 1,200 polling locations have closed since the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder. The country is witnessing a spread of voter suppression laws sweep across the country. From voter identification laws, to voter roll purges, elected officials are making it hard for Americans to vote. This Resolution affirms the Senate’s commitment to modernizing and strengthening the Act through further legislative efforts.
