WASHINGTON – In the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) urged his colleagues to support legislation he introduced in January with Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil Rights Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to modernize the Voting Rights Act and restore critical protections stripped by the Supreme Court last year. Senator Coons expressed his disappointment that, despite Republicans’ historic role in the civil rights movement, no Senate Republican has yet agreed to cosponsor their Voting Rights Amendments Act.

“The day that we announced the introduction of this bill, I was proud to be joined by Republicans from the House,” Senator Coons said. “I continue to hope and pray that we will be joined by Republicans in the Senate in what I think is the result of compromise – responsible, reasonable, and absolutely essential response to this difficult case – the decision in Shelby County, and I think modernizing, strengthening, and implementing an updated Voting Rights Act is absolutely essential for our nation.”

Questioning the Rev. Dr. Francys Johnson, state president of the Georgia NAACP, Senator Coons highlighted Republicans’ historic role in the civil rights movement.

“I think one of the things for which the Republican Party has long, justifiably, been proud is the central role that Republican legislators played in the enactment of landmark civil rights legislation in the last century,” Senator Coons said. “Yet today we seem to see a partisan divide on this Voting Rights Amendments Act, when previous VRAs had been broadly bipartisan in their support.”

“Why do you think that this has become a partisan issue?”

“It’s a very good question, especially considering every reauthorization of this important act has been by a Republican president,” Dr. Johnson said. “This should not be a partisan issue – the right to vote – and it is sacred. It was paid for by the blood, sweat, and tears of so many.”

“We are seeing extraordinary success under the Voting Rights Act,” Dr. Johnson concluded. “I am here today to say, let’s not take away what has worked so well. Let’s keep it in place so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of history and go down a pathway that is quite dangerous.”

The Voting Rights Amendments Act — supported by a range of civil rights groups — is a bicameral response to the Supreme Court’s Shelby County decision, which struck down a core provision in the Voting Rights Act. That provision determines how states are covered under Section 5 of the law, which requires federal preclearance to protect against discriminatory voting measures. The bill updates the coverage formula by making all states and jurisdictions eligible for the coverage formula based on voting violations in the last 15 years. States and jurisdictions that have had a clean record over the last 15 years would not be subject to coverage. 

Key provisions in the bill include:

  • A coverage provision based on current conditions. The bill establishes a rolling nationwide trigger that covers states or jurisdictions that have a persistent record of recent voting rights violations in the last 15 years.
  • Allows our federal courts to bail-in the worst actors for preclearance. The current law permits states or jurisdictions to be bailed-in for intentional violations, but the new legislation amends the Act to allow states or jurisdictions to be bailed-in for results-based violations.
  • Greater transparency in elections so that voters are made aware of changes. The additional sunlight will deter discrimination from occurring and protect voters from discrimination.
  • Allows for preliminary relief to be obtained more readily, given that voting rights cannot often be vindicated after an election is already over.
  • Includes modest provisions that continue to permit states to enact reasonable photo identification laws.

The full text of the legislation can be downloaded here.