Congressional Democrats expressed outrage Tuesday over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to derail a key component of the Voting Rights Act, but at party headquarters, it’s already a fundraising rallying cry.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee immediately wrote to donors asking for $3 to “help us pressure Republicans in Congress to take action to protect voting rights.”
Recommended Stories
“As of today, the landmark civil rights legislation NO LONGER fully protects minority voters from state-enacted voter suppression laws — especially in the South — as it has effectively done for nearly 4 decades,” the email says. “Today’s decision is a serious blow to democracy.”
The DCCC also set up a page on its website devoted to the cause.
The Supreme Court invalidated a provision in the landmark Voting Rights Act that required nine states and some localities to get Justice Department clearance before changing voting laws or drawing new election-district lines. As recently as 2006, the law was reaffirmed by a bipartisan majority of lawmakers.
During a press conference in the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called the decision to strike down the 50-year legislation “a dark day in the Supreme Court.”
