North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) Chair Bobbie Richardson released the following statement on the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act (H.R. 4), a bill that will restore the power of the Voting Rights Act to protect the sacred right to vote, in the U.S. House today: 

“Our country has a long, dark history of voter suppression that is rooted in racism. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 sought to guarantee equal voting protections for Americans no matter their race and to fight back against voter suppression attacks like the onslaught of anti-voter laws that are being introduced in North Carolina and across the country today.

“But seven years ago, the Supreme Court gutted the heart of the Voting Rights Act – preclearance – in the Shelby v. Holder decision, unleashing a torrent of discriminatory laws. Even in our own state, North Carolina reinstated voter ID laws, which were later held to be intentionally racially discriminatory, within 24 hours of the ruling.

“Today’s passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act is a significant step towards restoring the purpose of the VRA: ‘to banish the blight of racial discrimination in voting.’ President Biden, Vice President Harris and Democrats in North Carolina and across the country remain committed to leading the fight to protect the right to vote by urging Congress to pass additional legislation like For the People Act and launching initiatives to defend democracy.”

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