In 1923 Bhagat Singh Thind argued in the Supreme Court for the right to be a citizen, including the right to vote. Even though he lost his case, pioneers like Dalip Singh Saund kept up the fight.Decades after winning the right to vote, Sikh Americans across the country are already sending a message to Congress to protect this crucial right to have a voice in the democratic process. And you can join them.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Last year, in Shelby vs. Holder, the Supreme Court overturned a central provision of the Voting Rights Act that had protected minority voters in states with a history of discrimination.
Without those protections, some states immediately passed stricter laws for voting eligibility including: stringent Voter ID policies, cutting voting poll hours, and ending same-day registration. Brazenly, some immediately changed district boundaries that had high concentrations of minority voters and moved polling locations. Today, there are Americans who may lose their right to vote solely because of their race or English language proficiency.
CAN’T CONGRESS STOP THIS DISCRIMINATION?
Yes. When they struck down that part of the law, the Supreme Court told Congress how they can fix it to protect all voters around the country.
So a bipartisan group in Congress—Democrats and Republicans—introduced a new voting rights bill, the Voting Rights Amendment Act (VRRA), which would provide important protections against discrimination at the polls. This bill will enhance voting protection for those people who are limited in English proficiency by offering language assistance at polls—ensuring Sikh American participation and representation in both local and federal elections.It will also prevent states from discriminating against minorities by making all voting and district changes transparent and seeking federal approval for these changes.
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
But Congress is dragging it’s feet. The House Judiciary Committee Chairman has yet to even schedule a hearing on this critically needed legislation. If they don’t hold a hearing soon, they can’t have a vote. If they don’t have a vote, then the protections the Supreme Court asked for won’t be in place during the upcoming election.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?
This week SALDEF sent a letter (for Punjabi version, click here)—signed by major Sikh American organizations— to the office of every Senator and Representative on Capitol Hill asking them to support this bipartisan bill, encouraging them to move the bill forward and hold a vote.
And Sikh Americans around the country, whose Congressmen are on the Judiciary Committee and in the American Sikh Caucus, sent letters of their own asking for the Committee to hold a hearing on the bill.
WHAT CAN I DO?
By supporting these bipartisan common-sense fixes to the Voting Rights Act in the VRAA, you are honoring Bhagat Singh Thind’s legacy. Voter discrimination is not a thing of the past. There should be fair and equal laws protecting all voters across our nation. Every American should be able to vote freely regardless of their race, religion or identity.