The following is a statement from Verified Voting in support of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act reintroduced today. For additional media inquiries, please contact aurora@newheightscommunications.com
PHILADELPHIA (February 29, 2024) — Verified Voting urges Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
“The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore pieces of the Voting Rights Act that are the foundation of our electoral system and provide crucial protections for voters of color. Private citizens and civil rights groups must retain the right to protect voters and prevent intimidation and coercion toward election workers. Moreover, supporting election workers and protecting polling places is vital to ensuring safe and secure elections,” said Pamela Smith, President and CEO of Verified Voting.
Verified Voting notes in particular Title II of the Act, which adds measures to protect both election workers as well as polling places. It expands and clarifies protections for election workers and others, including volunteers, those maintaining election equipment, and family members of election officials. This includes serious penalties for anyone who:
- Uses force, threat of force, violence, or intimidation to prevent someone from voting or participating in the election process; or
- Damages or threatens to damage election infrastructure—including polling places, tabulation centers, election technology, and other infrastructure—with the intent to disrupt the election process.
This legislation would restore the pieces of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were gutted by the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013.
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