WASHINGTON — Today, on the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Fair Elections Center warns that modern-day efforts to undermine ballot access—from extreme partisan gerrymandering to attempts to impose new documentary proof of citizenship requirements—are weaponizing familiar tactics to undermine Black political participation. The country is experiencing some of the weakest federal protection for ballot access since the Civil Rights Act’s passage while states implement restrictions that disproportionately affect the very communities the legislation was meant to safeguard.
“The fact that we are still fighting to protect Black voters’ access to the ballot over 60 years after the Civil Rights Act is a stark reminder that progress is not permanent,” said Rebekah Caruthers, President and CEO of Fair Elections Center. “Today’s attacks on voting access are not happening in a vacuum, but part of a long history of attempts to limit Black political power. Whether through gerrymandered district lines, restrictive voting practices, or new barriers to proving citizenship, these efforts threaten to silence the votes and voices of generations who have fought to be heard.”
As the first Black President and CEO of Fair Elections Center, Rebekah Caruthers leads the organization with the mission of building a civic ecosystem where all people can easily and freely participate in our democracy.