CHICAGO - On the 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement:
“Sixty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, expanding the fundamental right to participate in our elections to millions of Black and brown citizens," said Governor JB Pritzker. "In doing so, he answered a call that has reverberated across generations, from our country’s original sin to the Selma to Montgomery marches – every citizen, no matter their race or zip code, deserves an equal voice in our democracy.
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“That creed is intrinsic to who we are as a nation, and today it is in grave danger. On Donald Trump’s orders, MAGA Republicans are attempting to rig Congressional maps and silence the voices of Black and Latino communities and all Texans who seek to hold Trump’s political party accountable. As I said when I stood with the Texas House Democrats this weekend, this is not just about Texas; this is about America.
“The Voting Rights Act was meant to guarantee that our democracy belongs to all of us. Sixty years later, we must recommit ourselves to that promise. Right now, that means welcoming Texas Democrats to Illinois, fighting voter suppression wherever it rears its ugly head, and ensuring that every citizen’s voice counts equally at the ballot box. On this anniversary, let’s carry forward the fight, vision, and hope of the generations who preceded us – that this nation might live up to its highest democratic ideals of equality and dignity under the law.”
