On August 6, 2025, the United States paused to reflect on a milestone that shaped its democracy: the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This landmark law, once hailed as a crowning achievement of the civil rights movement, granted and protected long-denied voting rights for Black Americans. But as the nation commemorates this pivotal moment, the fight over who gets to vote—and how easy it is to do so—has reached a fever pitch, raising urgent questions about the future of American democracy.
According to the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP), the last decade has seen a wave of restrictive voting laws. Since 2010, more than 25 states have enacted measures that, critics say, create barriers for minority, low-income, and young voters. The NCBCP, led by President and CEO Melanie L. Campbell, has been at the forefront of efforts to protect voting rights and ensure equal representation. "Now more than ever, Congress needs to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to support organizations like the NCBCP," Campbell stated in a recent address, underscoring the urgency of the moment.
The roots of the current crisis can be traced back to a series of developments over the past 15 years. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that required states with a history of discrimination to get federal approval before changing their voting laws. The consequences were immediate. Within 24 hours, Texas announced a strict voter ID law—a move that, according to the NCBCP, set off a domino effect. States across the country followed suit, and voter purges, disproportionately affecting Black citizens, became more common.
"The Supreme Court decision also led to an increase in voters being purged from voting rolls. Many of those voters were Black," Campbell emphasized. The Shelby decision, she argued, opened the floodgates for a new era of voter suppression, one that has only intensified in recent years.
In response to these developments, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was introduced and passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in August 2021. The bill aimed to restore and strengthen the protections lost in Shelby, particularly the requirement for federal oversight of states with a history of voting rights violations. Yet, despite passing the House, the measure failed in the Senate by a narrow margin.
Recognizing the growing threat to voting rights, House Democrats reintroduced the John R. Lewis Act in March 2025, with Senate Democrats following suit on July 29, 2025. The reintroduction comes at a time when advocates say the very fabric of American democracy is at stake. Campbell did not mince words: "This is now America’s new ‘Civil War’ and we must fight back!"
The urgency is not just rhetorical. In Texas, for example, lawmakers are attempting to redraw congressional districts in ways that would, according to critics, dilute the voting power of Black and Hispanic communities and add five more Republican seats to Congress. "Texas, the very state that could not wait a mere day to implement strict voter suppression laws after the Shelby County v. Holder decision, is shamefully trying to redistrict the state in such a way as to severely dilute the voting power of Blacks and Hispanics, and give white Republicans five more seats in Congress," Campbell charged.
The battle over voting rights has also played out in the courts and on the national stage. On August 9, 2025, Slate published an episode of its "Amicus" podcast, featuring journalist Cristian Farias and legal analyst Mark Joseph Stern. The episode dove into the Supreme Court’s latest actions, which, according to Slate, could deliver a "final blow" to the Voting Rights Act. The discussion highlighted several flashpoints: former President Trump’s demand for a new census that would exclude undocumented immigrants, the FBI’s pursuit of Texas Democrats who fled the state to break quorum, and a controversial Justice Department request for the Supreme Court to allow racial profiling of potential migrants.
"The Supreme Court’s latest attack on the Voting Rights Act is taking shape—and it could be the final blow," Slate warned, echoing concerns from civil rights advocates that the hard-won gains of the past six decades could be erased in a matter of years.
So how did America arrive at this crossroads? Campbell points to a series of turning points: the election of Barack Obama in 2008, the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010 (which unleashed a flood of corporate money into politics), the Shelby ruling in 2013, the blocking of judicial appointments in 2019, the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the historic presidential run of a Black woman in 2024, and recent efforts to shrink the federal government in 2025. Each event, she argues, represents a shift in the balance of power—and a step away from the inclusive democracy envisioned by the Voting Rights Act.
"Clearly, there is an apparent ‘pattern’ with regard to the lengths that some groups are willing to go in order to gain and remain ‘in power,’ at ALL costs. Now, that cost is our cherished democracy," Campbell said. The NCBCP’s call to action is clear: Americans must use their votes and voices to resist these efforts, not only for themselves but for future generations. "We must continue to get in ‘good trouble’ like Congressman John Lewis, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, A. Philip Randolph, Dr. Dorothy Height and all the unsung heroes and sheroes who fought and died for our rights and freedoms."
The stakes of the current fight are not lost on those who remember the sacrifices made to pass the original Voting Rights Act. As the nation marks its 60th anniversary, the law’s legacy hangs in the balance. The NCBCP, for its part, vows to continue advocating for equal representation, civic engagement, economic empowerment, and the protection of voting rights for all. "We must demand and push the leadership in Congress to do the ‘right thing’ for all Americans, no matter their party and our democracy and pass the reintroduced John R. Lewis Voting Right Advancement Act and pass it now!" Campbell concluded.
As Congress debates the future of the John R. Lewis Act and the Supreme Court weighs its next move, the struggle over voting rights remains front and center—a reminder that democracy is never finished, but always in the making.
