A Blow to our Democracy from a Broken Supreme Court

The Voting Rights Act was more than a victory for the Black Americans who gained hard-won rights at the ballot box — it was a victory for anyone who truly believed in the promise of American democracy. It opened the door for Black and brown Americans to represent their communities in the halls of Congress. Illinois is proud to have sent more Black representatives to Washington than any other state.

Today’s Supreme Court decision is a stain on the Court’s legacy and an insult to the heroic civil rights activists who fought to ensure every American, regardless of race or zip code, had an equal voice in our democracy.

By gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the Court has kowtowed to Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s scheme to disenfranchise voters of color in a desperate attempt to hold the House majority.

Here is the truth:

Donald Trump and the Republican Party are staggeringly unpopular. They know they cannot win majorities at the ballot box this November if they run on their record. So, they are resorting to a playbook that is as old as this country: suppress Black and brown people’s representation in government.

As of this morning, the Supreme Court has given MAGA Republicans what they wanted.

The consequences of this decision could be severe.

Republican state legislatures everywhere will try to pass maps that splice up communities of color across districts to ensure they get the least representation possible. If that happens, the new Congress and new legislatures will have fewer Black and brown faces than before. The result will be fewer representatives speaking up for those communities.

This ruling is an attack on representative democracy.

Moments like this can make it feel like the fight for our republic has already been lost.

But let me remind you: if you are a citizen of this country, you still have your vote. Use it. We need every Illinoisan – and every American, for that matter – who cares for our democracy to show up in November to vote for the Democrats.

Plus, every time Republicans erase a minority district, they make it more likely we can win in surrounding districts where they add minority voters. Every longshot race is still a shot — and if we show up, we can win.

Use the law. Use the courts. Use your voice.

Make sure Republican leaders know we will not rest until they end their decades-long effort to silence voters of color.

This moment calls for a new generation of civil rights heroes.

Let’s be those heroes.