The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Although the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects voting rights, black voters in Southern states faced discrimination at the polls. President Lyndon B. Johnson pressed Congress for additional legislation, leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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The 15th Amendment
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Legislators used the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, which prohibits voting discrimination based on color, race or previous service as a slave, as a base for drafting the Voting Rights Act of 1965. While the amendment granted voting rights, Southern states claimed black voters did not qualify to vote based on literacy and ability to register to vote.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 included language prohibiting the disqualification of citizens from voting based on their language or literacy abilities. Senators Mike Mansfield of Montana and Everett Dirksen of Illinois introduced the bill in the Senate, and President Johnson signed the legislation into law on August 6, 1965.
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1970 and 1975 Extensions
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Congress voted to extend Section 5 of the law in 1970 for five years, and again in 1975 for seven more years. Section 5 called for the U.S. Attorney General or the U.S. District Court of Washington, D.C., to approve all changes to voting procedures, in any jurisdiction, to ensure those changes did not discriminate against any voters. In 1975, Congress amended the law to ensure the voting rights of American Indians, Hispanics and Asians.
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References
- Photo Credit register to vote image by Christopher Martin from Fotolia.com
