America Votes’ Executive Director Daria Dawson issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais:

“Today, the Supreme Court took a wrecking ball to one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history. This decision is not isolated– it is part of a broader pattern we are seeing across the country: efforts to restrict access to the ballot, dismantle voting protections, and concentrate power in the hands of a few. This ruling is a green light for racial discrimination in our elections — full stop. 

“As Justice Kagan wrote in her dissent, the Voting Rights Act is ‘one of the most consequential, efficacious, and amply justified exercises of federal legislative power in our Nation’s history,’ born of the sacrifices of those who fought and died  for the right to vote. What is being dismantled here is not just policy, it is a legacy. It is a part of the culture of voting that has been built over generations, especially in communities that have to fight to be seen, heard, and counted.

“This Supreme Court has shown not just disregard, but open hostility toward the Constitution, siding with those who want to rewrite the rules, entrench their power, and weaken participation. Justice Alito’s cynical opinion is a continuation of conservatives’ decades-long strategy of gaming the Voting Rights Act to entrench their power, treating people of color only as pawns.

“America Votes and our more than 400 state and national partners will not back down. We will organize, mobilize, and fight to ensure every voter has an equal voice. Because participation does  not happen automatically. It happens when people are reached, engaged, and invited into the process. And that work will continue— no matter how hard they try to take that right away.”

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America Votes works year-round to build a more representative democracy. We are the central coordination hub of the progressive community across the country, working with more than 400 state and national partner organizations to advance progressive policies, expand the electorate, and protect every American’s right to vote.