WASHINGTON – Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) announced he is supporting the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, legislation that would update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act.
This legislation is especially relevant in Texas where, following historic disapproval of Congressional Republicans’ tax bill, Texas state lawmakers are looking to add five additional Republican House seats. The move comes in direct response to President Trump’s fears that voters may flip the House in the 2026 midterms.
“The Voting Rights Act used to be a point of pride for both parties. In 2006, Republicans and Democrats unanimously reauthorized it together. Now, the GOP is doing everything they can to destroy it,” said Senator Gallego. “I first met John Lewis when I was running for Congress. He came to Phoenix to help turn out young voters because he believed that everyone’s voice deserves to be heard. Passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is about keeping that promise and showing the American people that every vote still matters.”
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s damaging Shelby County decision in 2013—which crippled the federal government’s ability under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent discriminatory changes to voting laws and procedures—states across the country have unleashed a torrent of voter suppression schemes that have systematically disenfranchised tens of thousands of American voters. The Supreme Court’s decision in Brnovich delivered yet another blow to the Voting Rights Act, by making it significantly harder for plaintiffs to win lawsuits under the landmark law against discriminatory voting laws or procedures. These cases severely weakened the federal government’s oversight of discriminatory voting practices.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act restores the protections of the Voting Rights Act and enables all voters to experience free and fair elections.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is endorsed by hundreds of organizations.
Read full text of the legislation HERE.
Read a section-by-section analysis of the legislation HERE.
8/6/25