LWVGB RALLIED TO PROTECT THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT!

WHAT: Stood in defense of the VRA
WHEN: Friday March 1, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: In front of the Hugo L. Black U. S. Courthouse
1729 Fifth Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203

Pictured here (L-R): Jesse Bates, Mary Lynn Bates, Gene Byrd, Kathy Byrd, Eric Click, Seth Johnson, and Nancy Ekberg. See all the photos of the Birmingham VRA rally. [Note, our group was small but passionate. Many Birmingham participants in 62 civil rights organizations took their stand in front of the federal courthouse in Selma, AL..]

On Wed., Feb. 27, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder in which the constitutionality of Section 5 of the VRA is being challenged. This act, hard won in 1965, protects the equal voting rights of all Americans. It is described by LWVUS President Elisabeth MacNamara as the "jewel in the crown of Federal elections law." The LWV has used Section 5 of the VRA to fight several attempts at voter suppression.

Voting rights are under attack, and the VRA is critical to defending those rights. The League of Women Voters stood up and spoke out to protect and empower voters nationwide! The League of Women Voters rallied in Washington, D.C. outside the SCOTUS building on Feb. 27 as the Supreme Court reviewed the Shelby County, AL case. The League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham and Alabama and many national partners rallied on Friday, March 1 in Birmingham. The League gathered at federal courthouse rallies in Montgomery and Selma. Those rallies were also held on March 1 at 10:00 a.m.. Thank you to those who joined with us!!

For more information about the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its important role in protecting this most fundamental American right, visit:
http://www.lwv.org/blog/rally-protect-voting-rights-act