This archive report was first published on 25 August 2021.
On August 25, 2021, the US House of Representatives passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, a bill aimed at reversing two recent Supreme Court rulings that weakened voting protections.
The legislation, named after the late civil rights leader John Lewis, seeks to strengthen the Voting Rights Act by introducing a new formula for determining which states and local entities should be subject to pre-clearance by the federal government. This formula would consider voting rights violations over the last 25 years.
According to an analysis, eight states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas – and a handful of counties would be subject to pre-clearance under the new formula.
However, the bill would also require most jurisdictions in the country to obtain federal approval before implementing certain electoral changes, such as stringent voter identification requirements, removing polling places, or introducing new policies to cull voter rolls.
Other provisions in the bill aim to address voting disputes, including lowering the bar for plaintiffs suing to stop elections changes under the Voting Rights Act. This would prevent elections changes from taking effect for months or even years while lawsuits are resolved.
The legislation also targets Republican state officials who have used unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud to justify new restrictions on mail-in ballots and drop boxes. The bill requires states to provide evidence to back up their claims of voter fraud.
Despite its passage in the House, the bill's fate in the Senate remains uncertain. Senators are still negotiating their own version of the legislation, and it is unlikely to attract enough bipartisan support to pass.
