WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (MA-5) voted today to pass H.R. 4, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This critical legislation would restore key protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) which were gutted by the Supreme Court in the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision and more recently in the 2021 Brnovich v. DNC decision. The bill aims to protect voters from discrimination by restoring and strengthening the protections of the VRA. 

“Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote. But right now, through racially discriminatory voter suppression laws, the vote is under assault,” Assistant Speaker Clark said. “The vitality of our democracy demands action. We must pass reforms that will strengthen voting rights across our country, starting with the restoration of the provisions in the Voting Rights Act. John Lewis nearly lost his life fighting for the right for every person to be heard at the ballot box, and today, we honored his legacy and his memory through the passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.”

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