Voting Rights Legislation

This week we continue the discussion about voting rights. Specifically, we talk about the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the “For the People Act,” otherwise known as H.R.1. It’s easy to confuse these two because they serve the same purpose, but they are very different bills. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act seeks to update the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 and addresses the 2013 Supreme Court decision (Shelby County v Holder) that struck down some of its key provisions. The “For the People” act goes much further and addresses the mechanics of voting and, to a large degree, removes local state control over voting rights.

There are good arguments to be had on both sides of the “For the People Act,” and we discuss a few of them here. Republicans accuse the Democrats of using this act to force the Republican Party out of winning any future elections, but reality is often much more nuanced. It will affect both parties, and though the final outcome will benefit all voters, the parties themselves will need to implement some fundamental changes if this act becomes law.