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Congresswoman Fudge Marks the Anniversary of the Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court Ruling and Cosponsors the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014

Press Release

Date: June 25, 2014
Issues: Judicial Branch Arts, Entertainment, and History Elections

Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) today marked the one-year anniversary of the Shelby County v. Holder U.S. Supreme Court decision by cosponsoring the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 (VRAA) and participating in a rally to urge House leadership to bring it to a vote.

"I cosponsored the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 because it is a bi-partisan effort to restore the safeguards of the Voting Rights Act consistent with the Supreme Court's ruling," said Congresswoman Fudge. "I urge House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte to immediately take up this critical legislation."

"The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. However, the Shelby County v. Holder decision made it easier for states and localities to weaken this right. Advocates in Ohio recently battled the Republican controlled state legislature to restore early voting on the weekend before Election Day. Other discriminatory directives and laws that limit Ohioans access to the polls are still in place. We must remove barriers that interfere with any eligible citizen's right to vote and participate in our democracy. We must pass the Voting Rights Amendment Act."

The Shelby County v. Holder decision struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act that required states with a history of voting discrimination to get preclearance (prior approval) from the Justice Department before making changes to their voting guidelines. In its 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that the preclearance formula was outdated and advised Congress to develop a new formula consistent with current conditions.

Whereas the Shelby County decision made it easier for jurisdictions to pass laws that restricted access to the polls, the VRAA restores the balance and provides updated tools to reverse potentially discriminatory voting laws wherever they occur, including in states that were not previously subject to Section 4 such as Ohio.


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