Chairman Aguilar: The fight for voting rights is as urgent as ever

June 26, 2024

Chairman Aguilar: The fight for voting rights is as urgent as ever

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar joined Rep. Terri Sewell, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, House Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse, Rep. James E. Clyburn and Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a press conference to mark the 11th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holderdecision, which gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and to reaffirm House Democrats' commitment to passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Thank you, so much, Whip Clark, and to Representative Sewell, for your leadership and for bringing us all together to honor the legacy of our late great friend, John Lewis.

We know that the fight for voting rights is as urgent as ever. In the 11 years since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, Republican extremists have only ramped up their attacks on our democracy. States across the country have repeatedly undermined our democratic process by deliberately passing hundreds of voter suppression laws across our communities that make it harder to vote, especially for communities of color, including Latinos.

The bottom line is that House Democrats believe that every citizen, regardless of where they live, what their zip code is or what their background is, deserves the right to vote without fear or discrimination. Heroes like John Lewis risked their lives for those basic ideas, and their memory reminds us that the right to vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool that we have to keep democracy alive.

So today, House Democrats recommit ourselves to making sure that every single American has equal access to the ballot box by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Not only does this bill work to protect the sacred right to vote, but it restores critical protections from the Voting Rights Act that block discriminatory, anti-voter laws from going into effect.

Voting rights should not be a partisan issue, as Representative Sewell said. All we need now is a few Republicans, who believe in democracy and who believe in the promise of America, to join us.

With that, I'll yield back to Terri Sewell.

Video of the full press conference can be viewed here.

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