“Under the Court’s new view of Section 2, a State can, without legal consequence, systematically dilute minority citizens’ voting power,” wrote Justice Elena Kagan in her dissenting opinion in Louisiana v. Callais. This devastating decision is the latest in a long line of attacks that further weaken the Voting Rights Act, intensify conservative gerrymandering, and dismantle protections for voters of color.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 stood for decades as a means of protection from discrimination at the ballot box. With this latest decision, the Supreme Court revoked these safeguards and created avenues for politicians to choose their voters, rather than their voters choosing them.

Enough is enough. We call upon Congress to use its power to restore voting rights, ban partisan gerrymandering, and create a government that fairly represents the people.

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025 would repair portions of the Voting Rights Act weakened by the Supreme Court. The bill would further address discrimination at the polls by allowing federal election observers in jurisdictions subject to preclearance and enforcing standards for advance notice of voting and voting location changes. We join the Congressional Black Caucus in “demanding a vote on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act without delay.”

Furthermore, we ask that Congress take steps to enact legislation that would ban partisan gerrymandering and prevent politicians from drawing their own districts to guarantee their own wins. Fair representation requires fair maps and a system where every vote counts equally. Congress must act to establish a ban on gerrymandering and create proportional representation in the states.

We demand Congress immediately pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025, ban partisan gerrymandering, and end the manipulation of our democracy.