Voting Rights Advancement Act

The Voting Rights Advancement Act, now known as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, is proposed federal legislation that would rebuild protections from the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Two Supreme Court decisions weakened that landmark law: Shelby County v. Holder (2013), which struck down the formula for deciding which jurisdictions needed federal preclearance, and Brnovich v. DNC (2021). The bill would revive and update that preclearance requirement so states with a record of voting discrimination again need federal approval before changing election rules. LGBTQ+ groups such as HRC and PFLAG support it, noting that voter ID and other barriers keep large shares of transgender people and LGBTQ+ people of color from voting.