Stand Up for Voting Rights - Media Advisory - WV Citizens for Clean Elections

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Media Advisory August 2, 2019

Contacts:
Julie Archer, Coordinator for WV Citizens for Clean Elections, julie@wvcag.org, 304-346-5891
Carey Jo Grace, Southern Regional Organizer, Our Children, Our Future Campaign, CareyJo@OurFutureWV.org, 304-747-8805
Vivian Stockman, Executive Director, OVEC-Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, vivian@ohvec.org; 304-553-1962

What: Stand Up for Voting Rights

On Voting Rights Act Anniversary, State and Community Leaders Call on Congress to Restore the Law

When: 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Where: Outside the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse, 300 Virginia St E., Charleston, WV 25301

Who: Representatives of the WV Citizens for Clean Elections (WVCCE) coalition and member groups and allies, including the NAACP West Virginia, NAACP of Charleston WV, Call to Action for Racial Equality: CARE Coalition, Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, West Virginia Citizen Action Group, OVEC-Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, WV Healthy Kids and Families Coalition, Rise Up WV, WV Association for Justice

Confirmed speakers include the Reverend Ronald English, with the Charleston Black Ministerial Alliance and Katonya Hart, with the NAACP West Virginia.

Why: This press conference and rally marks the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). We’ll call on Congress to restore the protections in the VRA and ensure that every eligible voter can make their voice heard free from discrimination.

WVCCE members and allies will encourage everyone who is eligible to vote in the May 12, 2020 primary—when several WV Supreme Court Justices will be elected—and the November 3, 2020 general elections when the people will elect our next Governor and other statewide office holders, as well as the next President of the United States. Voter registration forms will be available at the event.

The VRA was signed into law 54 years ago, on August 6, 1965. It was the most comprehensive piece of legislation passed to ensure that voting rights were awarded to all citizens, especially racial minorities.

When five justices on the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the VRA in the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder case, they made it easier for states and localities to revert back to discriminatory practices that restrict the voting rights of black, brown, Native American and Asian American people. Since the decision, a number of states have implemented laws that disenfranchise voters, and disproportionately impact young people and communities of color—including voter ID laws, gerrymandering and voter purges.

Earlier this year, Congress introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act (HR 4), which would restore our ability to prevent racial discrimination in voting so that we can build the truly representative 21st century democracy we deserve.

Statement from Julie Archer, coordinator for WV Citizens for Clean Elections: “The right to vote is under more attacks today than any time in recent memory. We also see our courts under attack. Big-money and shadowy legal organizations are ramping up their efforts to pack both the federal and state courts with partisans who are okay with undermining our right to vote. Fair-minded judges and courts free from shadowy influences are key to protecting our legal and constitutional rights to vote. That’s why we urge everyone to demand that Congress pass HR4, and to do all they can to safeguard their right to vote and democracy itself. One way to do that is by joining in our effort to promote our Pro-Democracy Anti-Corruption platform.”

More info:

WVCCE’s Pro-Democracy Anti-Corruption platform: https://bit.ly/2VH2to.

Facebook invite for this event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1428924873932571/

Visit https://wvoter-owned.org/ the West Virginia Citizens for Clean Elections (WVCCE) website.
Find a list of member organizations at https://wvoter-owned.org/about/.

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