Several Local Organizations Partner to Host Vigil for Voting Rights in Charleston

The ACLU of South Carolina, in partnership with the League of Women Voters of the Charleston Area, City of Charleston NAACP, YWCA Greater Charleston, and SC Progressive Network will host the Charleston Vigil for Voting Rights on Tuesday, August 6th, 2019 at 7 pm in the Circular Congregational Church

This event marks the 54^th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA).  THE ACLU of South Carolina says:

The impact of the VRA has steadily weakened since 2010, with twenty-five states enacting voting restrictions that place a disproportionate burden on Black and African American citizens, the elderly, students, and people with disabilities. In their 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, the United States Supreme Court struck down the requirement of certain jurisdictions with a prior history of voting discrimination to obtain pre-approval before making changes that would affect voting. Barriers to access have increased in number and pace since 2016, and in June of 2019, the Supreme Court emboldened partisan gerrymandering in Rucho v. Common Cause and Benisek v. Lamone.

The Charleston Vigil for Voting Rights will provide an opportunity to reflect on the activism that resulted in the passage of the VRA as well as the movement to restore equal access to the vote. We will also share the good news—and the bad news—about South Carolina’s new voting machines that will be in place for municipal elections this fall. Volunteers from the League of Women voters will be on hand to register voters.

This vigil is part of a campaign to restore the enforcement powers of the Voting Rights Act.

Click here for more info. Circular Congregational Church is located at 150 Meeting Street.

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