To the editor:

The Lawrence-Douglas County League of Voters urges quick action in Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act.

Early this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted key components of the critically important Voting Rights Act of 1965. In Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, the court erased fundamental protections against racial discrimination in voting that have been effective for more almost 48 years, triggering a wave of attacks on voters. Only Congress can fix the court’s perverse action.

Consequently, states with a history of discrimination can now freely implement racially discriminatory anti-voter laws without seeking review by the U.S. attorney general and with relative freedom from voter lawsuits. Already, several states where the U.S. League of Women Voters had previously succeeded in blocking unfair voter restrictions in the courts and state legislatures have instituted new forms of voter discrimination. This is only the beginning. With the damaged VRA, our nation has lost the most important tool it had for keeping our elections free, fair, accessible, and protected from laws passed with subvert racist intent.

For half a century, the VRA has provided irreplaceable protection against the thinly veiled discrimination that continues to plague American voting rights. Congress should act swiftly to restore that protection. The Shelby decision is a call to action for all who believe all Americans should have fair and equal access to the ballot. The LWV-LDC urges each citizen to contact your member of Congress and your senators and politely ask them to fix VRA before more damage is done.