Press Releases

August 24, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today voted to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021, which would finally restore the full strength of the Voting Rights Act after the disastrous Supreme Court decisions of Shelby County v. Holder in 2013 and Brnovich v. DNC in 2021. The bill passed the House on a party line vote.

“The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore essential protections for Americans’ voting rights,” Said Beyer, “Across the country, Republicans are introducing an onslaught of discriminatory voting measures that target communities of color and are designed to make it harder for many Americans to participate in our democratic process. H.R. 4 would help put an end to their attempts to disenfranchise minority communities, protecting our democratic ideals and honoring the sacred legacy of John Lewis.”

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would create a new framework for allowing the Department of Justice to review voting changes such as stricter voter ID requirements and reductions in polling locations in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination based on race. It would also clarify and facilitate the avenues for parties to challenge laws that result in the denial or abridgement of the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or language-minority status.