CAPAC Chair on John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Reintroduction

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, on National Voter Registration Day, CAPAC Chair Judy Chu (CA-28) joined House Democrats in introducing H.R. 14, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The bill would protect the right to vote and safeguard our democracy by restoring and modernizing the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA).

Ten years ago, the Supreme Court gutted the VRA and unleashed a wave of discriminatory state laws targeting voters and restricting voting access. By restoring the VRA’s authority, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would prevent such laws from taking effect in states and localities with a recent history of voter discrimination.

CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) released the following statement:

“I want to thank my colleague, Congressmember Terri Sewell for reintroducing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act today. As Chair of CAPAC, I know that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are no strangers to the need for voting rights protections. For 60 long years, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prevented Chinese Americans from even becoming naturalized citizens, which meant we could not vote. This kept us from the decision-making table, leaving a dark legacy of disenfranchisement and hurting our communities’ ability to access the American Dream. But today, 10 years after the devastating Shelby v. Holder Supreme Court decision gutting key components of the Voting Rights Act, we are seeing a return to that dark period.

“For instance, in certain states, there has been criminalization of individuals and groups assisting with voter registration, and the withdrawal or denial of multilingual ballots and translators at the polls. These shameless voter disenfranchisement tactics especially hurt those in the AANHPI community—over a third of whom are limited English proficient and need multilingual support to exercise their right to vote. These attacks on our immigrant communities along with other voter suppression efforts such as aggressive gerrymandering, restrictive voter ID laws, polling location closures, and restrictions on early voting, weaken our democracy by limiting who can make their voices heard. Self-interested politicians continue to split up or pack Black, Latino, and AANHPI voters into districts that prevent communities of color from electing their candidates of choice to represent them.

“That is why Congress must do its job and pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to protect and strengthen the right of all Americans to vote and have a say in our democracy. We must ensure that all Americans—regardless of race, age, or language proficiency—have access to the polls, and can exercise their fundamental right to vote.”

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