On Wednesday, June 27, media are invited to join a #RestoreTheVOTE panel hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Civil and Voting Rights Task Force. This week marks the fifth anniversary of Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court decision that gutted parts of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

WHEN:      Wednesday, June 27, 2018

        2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

WHERE:   Rayburn Room 2362-A

                    Washington, DC 20515

WHO:

Lawmakers

• Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL-07)
  • Co-Chair, CBC Civil and Voting Rights Task Force
• Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
  • Co-Chair, CBC Civil and Voting Rights Task Force
• Congressman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA-02)
  • Chair, CBC
• Other members of Congress

Panelists

• Kristen Clarke
  • President and CEO, Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights Under Law
• Judith Browne Dianis
  • Executive Director, Advancement Project National Office
• Wendy Weiser
  • Director of the Democracy Program, Brennan Center for Justice
• Ashley Allison
  • Senior Advisor, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
• Catherine Meza
  • Senior Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

BACKGROUND: June 25 marks the 5th anniversary of Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court decision to gut the Voting Rights Act.  Since that decision, nearly two-dozen states have passed restrictive voter ID laws. Six states have reduced early voting days and hours. Seven states have enacted stricter voter registration requirements. And now, with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, states may purge voters from voter registration rolls if they do not vote in a federal election cycle.

RSVP: Members of the press and the public are invited to RSVP at RSVP.Sewell@mail.house.gov. The event is free and open to the public.  

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Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) is serving her fourth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional district. She sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was recently appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Sewell is a Chief Deputy Whip and serves on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and Vice Chair of Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition.