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U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Releases Report: An Assessment of Minority Voting Rights Access in the United States


WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released its report, An Assessment of Minority Voting Rights Access in the United States. Based on extensive research and expert and public testimony, the report assesses minority voter access around the country, and evaluates the Department of Justice's enforcement of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) since 2006, in particular after the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holder decision. In Shelby County, the Supreme Court held that preclearance provisions of the VRA unconstitutionally determined which jurisdictions needed federal government pre-approval to change voting procedures.

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Logo. (PRNewsFoto/U.S. Commission on Civil Rights)

Chair Catherine E. Lhamon said, "Today's report reflects the reality that citizens in the United States ? across many states, not limited only to some parts of the country ? continue to suffer significant, and profoundly unequal, limitations on their ability to vote. That stark reality denigrates our democracy and diminishes our ideals. This level of ongoing discrimination confirms what was true before 1965, when the Voting Rights Act became law, and has remained true since 1965: Americans need strong and effective federal protections to guarantee that ours is a real democracy."

Key unanimous findings and recommendations from the Commission include:

The Commission, unanimously, calls on Congress to:

The Commission, unanimously, calls on the Department of Justice to:

In North Carolina, we held a public briefing on voting rights, receiving testimony from 23 current and government officials, legal experts, academics, civil society actors, and some 40 members of the public. Twelve Commission state Advisory Committees ? Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas - have carried out their own voting rights investigations, contributing to this Commission report.

The Commission was established in 1957 with the initial charge of addressing voting rights. Commission reporting on pervasive voting discrimination in the 1950s and 60s contributed to the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is the only independent, bipartisan agency charged with advising the President and Congress on civil rights and reporting annually on federal enforcement. Please visit www.usccr.gov and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Contact: Brian Walch
[email protected]
202-376-8371

SOURCE U.S. Commission on Civil Rights



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