It's been 48 years since the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. And now it's in jeopardy.


On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act and said, "There is no room for injustice anywhere in the American mansion."

In the 48 years since its enactment, the Voting Rights Act has helped secure the right to vote for millions of men and women in our country – dismantling the injustice of preventing eligible citizens from casting their vote — and our democracy has been made stronger for it. But now the promise and purpose of the Voting Rights Act is in jeopardy.

I'm not naïve enough to believe the Voting Rights Act rooted out all injustice — after all, I saw firsthand what my sister had to go through voting in Florida in 2000 — but we know from experience the Voting Rights Act has provided a critical step forward for millions of African American and other voters.

Too many voters in our American family overcame many obstacles, and in some cases gave their lives, to obtain the right to vote — a sacred right that cannot and should not be put at risk.

The Voting Rights Act put in place sweeping new protections for minority voters in the American South who had been disenfranchised for generations by Jim Crow laws -- protections that are in serious jeopardy after the Supreme Court struck down a key provision that allows the Justice Department to monitor elections and ensure that all those who are eligible to vote can cast their ballots.

Republicans emboldened by the Court's decision have already introduced legislation to limit access to the ballot. In 30 states more than 55 different measures have been introduced and considered over the last several weeks.

Republicans are pushing restrictive voter ID legislation in states around the country that will make it more difficult for people to make their voices heard.

In North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory signed an extreme law that attempts to prohibit parents of college students from claiming them as dependents when they file their taxes if the students register to vote anywhere other than the parents' homes. Under the new law, those same students would be required to provide a government-issued photo identification card at the polls. Student ID cards would not count.

In North Carolina, there are 319,000 voters without a government-issued photo ID. Of those individuals, one-third are black and nearly all are living below the poverty line. Yet they would bear the expense of obtaining an ID.

It isn't right and it isn't fair.

By contrast, the Democratic Party is continuing its fight to expand and defend access to the ballot for all eligible Americans. And make no mistake – nationwide, in red states and blue states, in large states and small ones, we will continue to oppose legislative and political efforts that erode that most precious right.

But this isn't simply about political parties. At the end of the day this comes down to values. As Americans, we believe that freedom and justice are more than just words. We must expand access to the voting booth so the diverse voices of our country can be heard and our leaders must listen.

I've dedicated my life to making sure that all Americans can have their voices heard — no matter who they are, what family they were born into, or what they learned in school — they are Americans — and their voice matters.

Our country has never been worse off because more people decided to make their voices heard and their votes count. In 2012, we saw voters around the country stand in line for hours in some precincts so that their vote would be counted.

They cast their ballots and sent a simple but powerful message: "We're here. Our voice matters."

When President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, he plainly stated, "It is difficult to fight for freedom."

Today, on the 48th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act into law, let's rededicate ourselves to that fight for freedom.

Let's stand with those voters who waited hours to cast their ballots.

President Obama has called on Congress to pass legislation ensuring every American has equal access to the polls and every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot without limitation and restriction.

It's up to us to ensure voting isn't downgraded from a right to a privilege.

It's just not what our country is about.

Donna Brazile is vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.


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