Rep. Casten Votes to Protect the Right to Vote for All Americans
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL) voted to pass H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to restore critical protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and keep the promise of our democracy for all Americans. Amid the most coordinated state-level effort that has seen over 400 proposed laws across 49 states to restrict the right to vote in generations, H.R. 4 would prevent states and localities with a recent history of voter discrimination from restricting the right to vote by requiring these jurisdictions to obtain federal preclearance before changing their voting laws.
"As voting rights continue to come under attack across the country, we must carry on the lifelong legacy of John Lewis to protect every American's sacred right to vote," said Rep. Sean Casten. "With over 400 anti-voter laws proposed across 49 states in 2021 alone, the federal government has an obligation to protect the right to vote. I'm incredibly proud to vote for H.R. 4 to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act."
Rep. Casten previously spoke about the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act at an event in Congressman Lewis' honor. You can watch his speech by clicking here.
For decades, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) prevented states and localities from restricting the right to vote. However, in its disastrous Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013, the Supreme Court gutted the law, invalidating Section 4 and striking down the formula used to determine which jurisdictions are subject to federal oversight. In July 2021, the Court further weakened the law in its decision in Brnovich v. DNC which made it more difficult to challenge discriminatory voting laws under Section 2.
Named for the late Congressman and civil rights icon John Robert Lewis, H.R. 4 restores Section 4 of the VRA by establishing a modern-day formula that requires states and localities with a recent history of voter discrimination to seek approval from the U.S. Department of Justice before making changes to their voting laws.
For areas to qualify for judicial pre-clearance, they must have the following qualifications:
- States with a history of 15 or more violations at any level in the previous 25 years
- States with a history of 10 or more violations, if one violation occurs at the state level in the previous 25 years
- Subdivisions with 3 or more violations in the subdivision in the previous 25 years.
H.R. 4 also restores Section 2 of the VRA by eliminating the heightened standard created by the Supreme Court in Brnovich v. DNC.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act also:
- Allows federal courts to immediately halt questionable voting practices until a final ruling is made. This provision recognizes that when voting rights are at stake, prohibiting a discriminatory practice after the election has concluded is too late to truly protect voters' rights.
- Gives the Attorney General authority to request that federal observers be present anywhere in the country where discriminatory voting practices pose a serious threat.
- Increases transparency by requiring reasonable public notice for voting changes.
- Includes a retrogression standard for already-enacted but not-yet-implemented measures.
- Help plaintiffs to seek injunctive relief for voting rights violations in the lead-up to an election.
- Establishes a grant program for small jurisdictions to help them comply with the bill's various notice requirements.
H.R. 4 can be found here.