Almost 61 years ago the Voting Rights Act was passed, thanks in totality to the blood, sweat, and tears of civil rights activists. (If you aren’t familiar with Bloody Sunday in Alabama, read this for the history that happened immediately leading up to the passage of the Voting Rights Act.)
The Act was passed to prohibit racial discrimination in voting, and it has been effective in improving equity in voting access and representation as well as general civil rights provisions. In August of 2024, our own US Department of Justice referred to its enduring power and importance.
Every time part of the Act gets gutted by the Supreme Court, we lose some of that equity progress as well as basic protections. Last week’s decision, followed by actions of certain states (including Tennessee, where I live), is an attempt to get ahead of what could otherwise be disastrous midterms for a certain party.
If you live in Tenn and care about voting equity and basic civil rights protection, I beg you to call or at least email your representatives to ask them to vote against this latest redistricting plot. If you live in any other state, pay close attention to what is going on with respect to local elections. If you need help with finding out info in your specific area, I am happy to help!
Here are some of my go to sources:
To see a sample ballot (to be able to do research on candidates), check out Ballotpedia’s sample ballot tool.
Nonpartisan research on candidates and voting issues: VoteSmart
A law professor’s guide to understanding redistricting, with up to date proposed maps: All About Redistricting
Teaching (toward) the Beloved Community 