Congresswoman Beatty hosts Voting Rights Tele-Town Hall in response to U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision

Beatty hosts Voting Rights Tele-Town Hall in response to U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Beatty (OH-03) released the following statement regarding her Voting Rights Tele-Town Hall that took place in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision on June 25, 2013.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-3) hosted a Voting Rights Tele-Town Hall in which she facilitated an in-depth discussion in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Shelby County v. Holder matter. The conference call addressed the Court’s devastating setback to civil rights in America in finding Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act (“VRA”) unconstitutional. Local, state, and national organizations who are working to protect disenfranchised voters in minority communities participated in the call, speaking to Representative Beatty’s constituents.

The speakers provided ways on how to protect voting rights. Voters must be vigilant and collect voter disenfranchisement data, monitor changes at the polls that undermine the right to vote, report disenfranchisement information to 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 866OURVOTE.com, and contact their members of Congress at 202-225-3121 to ensure they act to restore the teeth to the Voting Rights Act.

“Now more than ever, participation of minority voters in elections at all levels is necessary so that equal protection under the law is enforced. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday, June 25^th delivered a devastating setback to Civil Rights in America by finding Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.”

“Today, we need to make sure we are educating, informing and empowering neighborhoods at the local, state, and national level to ensure minorities are not being undermined the right to vote.”

The speakers on the call included Columbus, Ohio Attorney Otto Beatty, Jr. Esq. of Otto Beatty, Jr. & Associates LPA; John P. Gilligan, Esq. of Ice Miller LLP; Marcia F. Johnson-Blanco, Esq., Co-director Voting Rights Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Myrna Perez, Esq., Deputy Director, Democracy Program of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law; and Kimberly W. Ross, Esq., Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Beatty.

Greg Beswick I Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-03) I District and Communications Director I 614.404.8477