The 59th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act: Our Time to Recommit 

Before August 6^th, 1965, the sacred right to vote was inaccessible to most people of color because of both explicit law and normalized systemic voter intimidation. Discrimination tactics, such as literacy tests and poll taxes, made the voting booth unavailable to entire communities. 

Throughout the 1960’s, activists in Birmingham and Selma organized powerful protests and actions, making voting rights an issue the federal government could no longer ignore. On August 6^th, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, formally removing all race-based restrictions on voting and offering enforcement mechanisms to prevent common voter discrimination tactics. The legislation enfranchised millions and empowered underrepresented communities to elect candidates of their choice to public office. 

But this was far from the end of the fight. As we honor the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we must recommit ourselves to uphold everyone’s sacred right to vote and stand up against voter suppression.  

The United Church of Christ has long fought to secure our sacred right to vote and increase participation in our democracy. We believe democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea – we are all children of God and all deserve a voice in the direction of our country. As people of faith, we know every voice matters and every voice must be heard. We must do all we can to ensure that no person is stripped of their access to meaningful political engagement by those in power.  

The voting rights of millions remain under attack today. Unfortunately, multiple legal challenges of the Voting Rights Act have gutted the legislation, making entire sections unenforceable. 

Attacks on voting rights continue in other forms of legislation, as well. Just this year we have seen legislators advance bills which would curb the voting rights of millions of Americans. For example, the U.S. House of Representatives recently advanced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (H.R. 8281) which would require proof of citizenship status to register for federal elections and passed the Equal Representation Act (H.R. 7109), which would add a question on citizenship status to the U.S. census.  

While these acts use the language of “protecting democracy”, their implications are devastating for voting rights. Millions of American citizens (between five and seven percent) don’t have the most common types of documents used to prove citizenship: a passport or birth certificate. The U.S. census is used by states as the basis for all redistricting efforts, so introducing a citizenship question, which would create an environment of fear for immigrant and mixed status families, will ultimately exclude immigrants from fair and equal representation in the U.S. government. These recent acts by Congress and the Supreme Court will make it harder for voters of color and naturalized citizens to exercise their right to vote. 

In the face of such devastating attacks, we must remain hopeful and continue to focus on actionable steps which protect our democracy, such as:  

• Urging Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which would strengthen voting rights by expanding the government’s ability to respond to voting discrimination. 

• Sign up to become an election poll worker or poll chaplain! By volunteering your time working at the polls and helping recruit others, we can help keep voting locations open, functional, and accessible to all.  

• Join the UCC Justice and Peace Action Network! Stay up to date with the United Church of Christ’s voting rights advocacy and learn more about our efforts to shape public policy to reflect a just and loving society.  

We are less than 100 days away from the US election. Now is the time to stay engaged, stay informed, and stay hopeful! As we honor the anniversary of this legislation, join me as we recommit ourselves to protecting our sacred democracy and upholding a free and fair election.