WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today marks the 58th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act, designed to enforce the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, outlawed many discriminatory voting laws designed to disenfranchise voters of color. EMILYs List President Laphonza Butler released the following statement recognizing the anniversary:
“In 1965, the Voting Rights Act ushered in a new era for many Americans who had previously faced racist barriers to exercising their right to vote. Now, with fundamental freedoms under attack, access to the ballot box has never been more integral to preserving our democracy. As Republicans continue to ignore the will of the majority of Americans, it is imperative that we work to elect the Democratic pro-choice women who will help enshrine our rights — from abortion access to voting. So, while we honor the anniversary of this landmark legislation, we are determined to honor the lives of those who fought for it with the overwhelming power of our vote.”
EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Our work is centered around a fundamental vision: Run. Win. Change the World. EMILYs List has raised $850 million in service to that vision and has helped Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the largest independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 175 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,500 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information.
