To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Strengthen Voting Rights Act
Strengthen our Voting Rights Act to its full integrity by restoring Section 4, requiring DOJ approval of state voting laws. Though the previous Section 4 had applied only to certain states with a history of discrimination, a newly restored Section 4 should include a mandate that it shall apply to every state in the nation with no provision to “opt out”.
Why is this important?
Our basic right to vote is under assault. The right to vote is the political tool that belongs solely to We the People. Restricting or curtailing that right must never be allowed if we are to keep our Democracy viable.
Immediately on the heels of our national "Supreme" Court's recent decision to gut our Voting Rights Act by disqualifying Section 4 (which required only certain states to obtain DOJ evaluation and approval that their proposed state laws would not discriminate against voting groups), at least two states, Texas and North Carolina, have now quickly enacted restrictive voter ID laws, the very laws that were, in fact, previously judged to be discriminatory, preventing their enactment prior to this Supreme Court decision.
Our Supreme Court’s action has thrust this issue back into the legislative branch of our government, and we must apply heavy pressure upon the House of Representatives and the Senate to restore the full integrity of our critical Voting Rights Act.
My petition demands that our Voting Rights Act Section 4 be restored and that it apply to every state in the nation with no ability to “opt out.”