The 1963 Voting Rights Act (VRA) Section 4 provided the formula that determined the jurisdictions (several states, three counties in NYS and other election districts in the US) that required pre-clearance by a federal court or the US Department of Justice when voting laws and regulations were going to be changed. These jurisdictions were determined by past history of discrimination established by Congress’ criteria. In June 2013 the US Supreme Court ruled (in Shelby County v. Holder) that Section 4 was no longer needed, but gave the Congress a way to rewrite the section. Other parts of the VRA are still in place, but the remaining processes for a citizen to file a discrimination claim about voting are more complex, costly and lengthy. LWV is strongly supporting a new writing of Section 4, to be passed by Congress and signed by the President this fall. It’s a fundamental right in this country to have fair, accessible elections for all Americans - young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural - in all states, counties and municipalities. The LWV’s vision is to expand access to voting and to increase the number of citizens voting.

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