Voting is a sacred right and must be protected. Democracy honors the sacred worth of all human beings by recognizing that we all have a spark of the divine that allows us to shape our own destiny. But that right is currently under assault.

The Voting Rights Act (VRA) stands as one of the great achievements of American democracy. Signed into law on August 6, 1965, this landmark legislation outlawed discriminatory voting practices, literacy tests, collection of poll taxes, bureaucratic restrictions, and other obstacles denying people of color the right to vote as citizens of the United States of America. The passage of the VRA was profound, signaling a direct challenge to discriminatory practices of overt racism and racial injustice across the country.

Yet the protections the VRA built have been steadily dismantled. On April 29th, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in Louisiana v. Callais to limit Section 2 of the VRA, the provision that has long served as the law's primary tool for challenging racially discriminatory voting maps. The ruling makes it far harder for voters in Black and brown majority districts to challenge unfair district lines, effectively clearing the way for maps that dilute their political voice. 

This matters because gerrymandering, the intentional drawing of congressional districts’ boundaries to give one party or group an advantage, is a widespread issue of injustice around the country. Through gerrymandering districts, marginalized voices are silenced, and with Section 2 weakened, that injustice now has far fewer guardrails. 

The impacts of the VRA are powerful. From getting people of color elected to Congress to ensuring voters aren’t intimidated, it is a critical piece of legislation that deserves full implementation. And the threats don’t stop at redistricting. We are also witnessing other targeted attacks on voting rights, from attempts to limit voting by mail to threats to restrict voter registration.

We are experiencing voting restrictions we last saw before the VRA was passed, but we must not allow further loss of progress. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025, or H.R. 14, would safeguard every person’s right to vote. For example, the bill would require states with a history of voting discrimination to receive approval from the Department of Justice before changing voting practices.  

Democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea; we are all children of God, and therefore, we all deserve a voice in the direction of our country. When people’s votes are suppressed, or laws are passed to make it harder to vote, that in turn diminishes our democracy. The late Representative and voting rights advocate, John R. Lewis, once said, “the right to vote is precious, almost sacred.”

Tell your members of Congress today to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act!