Sixty years after the landmark Voting Rights Act became law, civil rights advocates are calling for renewed federal action to combat what they describe as a nationwide assault on voting access.
Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, said Thursday that more than 25 states have enacted restrictive voting laws since 2010, creating barriers particularly for minority, low-income and young voters.
“On Aug. 6, 2025, we paused to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, the landmark law that granted and protected long-denied voting rights for Black Americans,” Campbell said. “Unfortunately, since 2010, over 25 states have enacted restrictive voter suppression laws.”
The 1965 law’s enforcement powers were significantly weakened by the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which eliminated the requirement for certain states and jurisdictions with histories of voting discrimination to seek federal approval before changing their election laws.
Campbell cited the immediate impact of that ruling: “Less than 24 hours after the Shelby v. Holder decision, Texas wasted no time in announcing that it would put into place a strict voter ID law.”
The decision also led to increased voter roll purges, with many of those removed being Black voters, Campbell said.
In response to what advocates describe as widespread voter suppression, the House passed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in August 2021. The bill aimed to restore key provisions of the original 1965 law, including federal oversight of voting changes in jurisdictions with histories of violations.
The Senate failed to pass the legislation by a narrow margin. House Democrats reintroduced the measure in March, and Senate Democrats followed suit on July 29.
Campbell described the current political climate as a “modern-day Civil War” centered on political power and domination. She questioned whether negative reactions to Black political power emerged after Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential victory, his leadership during the Great Recession, and his 2012 reelection.
She also pointed to the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed unlimited corporate and union spending in elections, as a potential turning point that empowered “big business and large money interests.”
Campbell cited several examples of what she characterized as efforts to limit progressive political power, including Senate Republicans’ refusal to confirm Obama’s judicial nominees during his final two years in office and the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
She also referenced the 2024 presidential election, in which “a highly qualified Black woman, who had already occupied the office of vice president of the United States, ran for president,” and criticized current efforts to reduce federal government services and employees.
Campbell specifically highlighted Texas, where Republican legislators and Gov. Greg Abbott are seeking to redraw five congressional districts with significant Black and Latino populations, potentially helping the GOP maintain House control after 2027.
“This is all about power and control,” Campbell said. “The United States of America is moving swiftly towards an authoritarian regime of historic proportions that has absolutely no interest in democracy.”
She argued that those in power want “the majority of Americans, especially people of color, to be less healthy, less educated and less financially secure.”
Campbell urged Americans to use “the power of our vote and collective power of dissent” to fight back against attacks on voting rights and democracy, not just for current generations but “for our nieces, nephews, children and grandchildren.”
Describing the situation as a new Civil War, she called on congressional leadership to “do the right thing for all Americans, no matter their party” and pass the reintroduced John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.