Linda Sánchez Statement on 3rd Anniversary of Supreme Court Shelby County V. Holder Decision

Statement

Representative Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a member of the Ways and Means Committee, today released the following statement on the third anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County v. Holder:

"Three years ago today the Supreme Court rolled back 50 years of progress with the disastrous Shelby County v. Holder decision. This gutted some of the basic protections that give all Americans the right to vote. As a result of the Shelby County decision, 2016 will be the first year since the Voting Rights Act became law in 1965, that voters will not have anti-discrimination protections at the ballot box.

"Unfortunately, as we have seen with other Supreme Court decisions, the Shelby County decision was just the beginning of a larger agenda to restrict voting rights to minorities. Since then, conservative state legislatures across the country have passed laws designed to deliberately disenfranchise people of color, low-income individuals, persons with disabilities, young adults, and seniors. This year, more than 875,000 Latino voters will suddenly be subject to new voter ID requirements and over 13.1 million Latino voters are expected to cast ballots this November without voting rights protections.

"Make no mistake, the Shelby County decision was an attack on the Latino community and the only way our community can stop these constant attacks is to raise our voices, to participate, and most importantly to vote. A core principle of our democracy is the ability for citizens to choose their representatives, not for elected officials to choose their voters. We cannot allow our voices to be silenced and we must do whatever it takes to exercise our right to vote. It is time for Congress to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the VRA and ensure that all Americans have equal access to the ballot box."

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