Activists working in John Lewis's shadow warn about voter suppression ahead of November vote
LaTosha Brown spent three hours in line last month waiting to vote in Georgia’s primary. After finally casting her ballot, she delivered pizza and encouragement to others in Black-majority districts of Atlanta who faced even longer delays.
The life’s work of Lewis is in the spotlight as the nation barrels toward a presidential election amid both a reckoning on racial inequity and concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic could further impact voting integrity. Story continuesFueling the tension is President Donald Trump's declaration that mail-in voting would lead to a"rigged" election, instead of it being seen as a safe alternative given virus-driven social distancing mandates. In a rebuttal, Sen. Dianne Feinstein issued a statement saying that in her home state mail-in voting has been used for 60 years with"no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
“John was like a proud parent, one who knew that without vigilance the Voting Rights Act would get undermined,” says Barbara Arnwine, a close friend of Lewis and founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition, which works to promote racial justice. “I’m extremely disturbed and concerned. Many states seem to want to exploit the pandemic to engage in voter suppression that will mostly hurt the poor and people of color.
“The Republican party has essentially said the Voting Rights Act as it was originally written is now outdated,” says Berman. “So there’s no sense of urgency to restore it as that is perceived as possibly hurting them politically.” "It’s just hard keeping up through a case-by-case litigation strategy,” says Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a group founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 that enlists private lawyers for civil rights work.
“This used to be something that traditionally there was strong support on both sides of the aisle for reauthorizing year after year,” says Weiser, who hopes that the nation's current focus on inequality will pressure Congress to finally act. “It’s harder these days to stand against equality and voting rights.”
“The biggest issue is we have an election in the middle of a health crisis and we haven’t put adequate resources into dealing with that,” says Albright, noting that lawmakers still haven’t opted to provide funds for voting security in the next coronavirus relief package. “From where I stand, it’s almost like we’re fighting similar issues that John Lewis and his friends fought.”
“When people recognize there’s an effort to keep them from voting, that’s motivating,” says Brooks. “There’s a lot to navigate, but groups like ours and others hope to provide a road map.” NBA star LeBron James recently announced the launch of More Than A Vote, an initiative that aims to leverage the powerful social media presence of sports and entertainment celebrities to keep voters informed as Election Day nears.
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Activists working in John Lewis's shadow warn about voter suppression ahead of November vote“You can praise John Lewis, but do you respect his values?' said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the activist group Black Voters Matter. 'Voting shouldn’t be a partisan issue, it's a democracy issue,”
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Rep. John Lewis to lie in state next week at the US CapitolLewis, a civil rights icon and longtime member of Congress, died last Saturday at the age of 80 after a monthslong battle with cancer.
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