Press Releases

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) today released the following statement in observance of the 50^th Anniversary of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965:

“50 years ago, Democrats and Republicans set aside partisan divisions to enact the Voting Rights Act – the Crown Jewel of our civil rights laws.  A little more than 40 years after the bill’s enactment, America elected its first African American president.

“Today, second generation voting barriers – voter ID laws, limits on early voting, bans on voting for ex-felons, and most recently, the Supreme Court’s elimination of Section 5 pre-clearance provisions – threaten to dismantle voting rights for minorities, seniors, young people and other historically-disadvantaged Americans.

“As the only current serving Member of Congress who voted for the Voting Rights Act in 1965, I implore all of my congressional colleagues to again come together: to protect the right to vote for all citizens, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or language ability, and thus safeguard Democracy itself.”

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Earlier today, Rep. John Conyers, Jr. joined the Detroit Branch NAACP for a press conference to highlight the 50^th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and to urge his Congressional colleagues to restore the critical legislation to protect voting rights for all.

Click here for an opinion editorial by Rep. Conyers published today in The Detroit News that calls for full restoration of the VRA.