Virginia Is First Southern State to Adopt Its Own Voting Rights Act

According to Sara Swann at The Fulcrum, “Virginia is the first Southern state to adopt its own voting rights act: Almost eight years after the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Virginia has become the first Southern state to restore protections for minority voters. The landmark bill, championed by Democrats in the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Ralph Northam this week, aims to prevent the implementation of discriminatory voting standards. The victory in Virginia for voting rights advocates starkly contrasts the nationwide efforts by Republican lawmakers to roll back access to the ballot box, disproportionately impacting non-white, poor, elderly and disabled voters.”

For members of the media looking for further insight or reflection on this issue, please consider Steven White, assistant professor of political science in Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has studied Southern politics extensively. White specializes in American politics, American political development, race and politics.

Professor White provided these remarks for use by the media:

“The Voting Rights Act of Virginia highlights several key features of the politics of voting rights in contemporary America. Although the 1965 Voting Rights Act was renewed and even expanded in a bipartisan fashion for nearly half a century, in the aftermath of the 2013 Supreme Court case overturning key provisions, Republicans have opposed efforts at a new national law, and state-level Republicans have generally moved to restrict, rather than expand, voting access. The Virginia law highlights the extent to which the voting rights debate isn’t easily categorized as a regional conflict anymore, with more liberal southern states moving to make voting easier while many northern states, like Wisconsin, have moved to make it harder. It also highlights how the parties have polarized on voting rights issues, which has concerning implications for the health of American democracy. ”

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