Today is the John Lewis National Day of Action. Congressman John Lewis passed away five years ago on July 17th, leaving a remarkable legacy of civil and human rights advocacy.  

Congressman Lewis was a leading advocate for voting rights and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) was named in his honor. The VRAA, which is yet to be passed by Congress, would strengthen legal protections of our voting rights. Given the ongoing attacks against these rights, the VRAA is as needed as ever.  

Specifically, the VRAA would update the preclearance program that was gutted by the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder (2013). The VRAA preclearance framework would require jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination to get prior approval before implementing electoral changes. The VRAA would also strengthen Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which allows voters to sue to block discriminatory voting laws.   

To learn more about the VRAA, read this fact sheet by the Brennan Center for Justice: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/john-r-lewis-voting-rights-advancement-act. 

To find a John Lewis National Day of Action event near you, check out this resource from Good Trouble Lives On: https://goodtroubleliveson.org/#attend. 

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