Congress Must Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
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Today, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Congresswoman Terri Sewell, reintroduced the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA), legislation named after the late civil rights icon that would amend and restore the full strength of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
“With the 2024 election cycle already in full swing, it’s never been clearer: all voters should have a say in the future direction of our country,” said Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), and a Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission. “The John Lewis VRAA will help America realize the true promise of our democracy: a government of, by, and for the people. The Voting Rights Act has a long track record of earning overwhelming bipartisan support, because protecting voting access should be a goal that transcends political divides. Campaign Legal Center strongly endorses the John Lewis VRAA.”
Attacks on voting rights have reached a new fever pitch after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the 2013 case Shelby County v. Holder, with the attacks growing even more persistent since 2020. In the past decade, Americans have seen cutbacks to early voting periods, new burdensome requirements to cast ballots and restrictions on the right of nonpartisan civic engagement groups to assist citizens in participating fully in the democratic process.
Notably, the VRAA would reestablish and revitalize the important preclearance system gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder, as well as strengthen Section 2 of the VRA, which the Court has also weakened in recent years. These essential reforms will protect Black and brown voters throughout the voting process and help ensure every American can participate in our democracy.
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What to Look for at the House Administration Committee’s FEC Oversight Hearing
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Federal campaign finance laws help ensure transparency about who’s spending money to influence elections, hold candidates accountable for the money they raise and spend in pursuit of public office, and curtail corruption (and its appearance) in our government. But campaign finance laws can only further these goals if they are applied fairly and enforced robustly.
For over ten years, the agency responsible for implementing and enforcing these laws – the Federal Election Commission (FEC) - has regularly failed to do its job, weighed down in ideological gridlock.
But tomorrow, all six of the FEC’s commissioners will appear before a congressional oversight committee to answer lawmakers’ questions about the agency’s work. This opportunity must not be taken lightly by members of Congress, who will have the chance to address the FEC’s regulatory failures and hold the agency accountable. This includes topics like the FEC’s:
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Failure to police the rampant increase in coordination between super PACs and candidates and parties.
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Allowing secret election spending, also called ‘dark money,’ to flourish.
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Giving politicians the green light to use donor funds for their personal expenses.
The current political environment has allowed wealthy special interests to dominate our elections, drowning out the voice of everyday Americans. To ensure every American has a meaningful opportunity to participate in our political process and have their voices heard, we need a stronger FEC to enforce our laws and hold violators accountable. Tomorrow’s oversight hearing is an opportunity for Congress to ask tough questions and push the FEC to do better, ensuring our system of checks and balances works the way it is intended to.
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