Sangat members are encouraged to contact their Representatives and Senators. Washington D.C. – The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) urge national leaders to support the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1964. Key provisions of the VRA, a historical piece of civil rights legislation, are set to expire on August 6, 2007 Despite the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, southern voter registration boards used poll taxes, literacy tests, and other bureaucratic impediments to deny minorities their legal voting rights. President Lyndon B. Johnson made civil rights one of his administration’s top priorities, using his skill to pass the Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed poll taxes, in 1964. By the late 1960’s the effects of the Voting Rights Act could be seen; 60% of eligible African Americans registered to vote in Mississippi, and other states showed similar improvement. Some of the provisions being threatened include; Section 203 of the VRA requires that certain states and local jurisdictions provide language assistance in languages other than English to voters who are not literate or fluent in English. Also Section 5, which requires certain states and local governments to “preclear” proposed changes in voting or election procedures with the U.S. Department of Justice or U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Voting is a hallmark of a true democracy and we must not let this legislation fall through the cracks. The VRA implemented the safeguards necessary for all minorities and low-income individuals to possess the right to have their vote count as equally as their wealthy counterparts. This is the true nature of America, and we must protect it. SALDEF urges members of the Sikh American community to contact their representatives in the United States Congress to support this vital piece of legislation. To find your U.S. Representatives Click here. To find your U.S. Senator Click Here.
