WASHINGTON (OSV News) ─ The anniversary of the Voting Rights Act is a time to reflect on ways to work together "for a society in which all citizens are able to participate fully and faithfully in our democracy," Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Austin, Texas, said in an Aug. 5 statement.
Bishop Garcia made the comments as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation.
The Voting Rights Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Aug. 6, 1965, was landmark legislation that helped advance equal access to the ballot and strengthened participation in U.S. democracy. The law prohibits discrimination in voting and voting registration based on race or spoken language, and also provides protections for blind, disabled or illiterate voters.
It aimed to address racial discrimination that sometimes prevented eligible voters from voting or registering to vote, amid efforts, often in the South, to disenfranchise Black Americans from the process.
That law, Bishop Garcia said, "emerged from the sacrifices and perseverance of countless individuals who worked to secure the fundamental right to vote, particularly for communities of color that had long faced discrimination and exclusion."
"Today, many communities of color worry about how recent developments will impact their fair representation and future participation in the democratic process," he said. "Echoing our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, we affirm the value of democracy 'insofar as it guarantees the effective participation of citizens' as a reflection of their dignity."
"For decades, the U.S. bishops have advocated for the right of eligible citizens to participate fully in public life, including the protection of voting rights," he continued. "We encourage all citizens to exercise their right to vote and urge policymakers to safeguard voting rights and promote fair representation for all. Today is also an occasion to remember the hard-won history of voting rights in our country, and to recommit to the work which remains."
"May we continue to work together for the common good and for a society in which all citizens are able to participate fully and faithfully in our democracy," Bishop Garcia said.
