VA Voting Rights Act Signed Into Law At Ceremony In Newport News

NEWPORT NEWS, VA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday ceremonially signed the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, a bill modeled after the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which fully went into effect on Sept. 1, protects voters in the state from suppression, discrimination and intimidation. It requires changes to local voting laws and regulations be advertised in advance for public comment and evaluated for their impact on previously disenfranchised communities.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) and Del. Marcia “Cia” Price (D-Newport News). The law makes Virginia the first state in the South to enact a Voting Rights Act.

The bill also allows the Virginia attorney general or affected people to initiate civil action in court if the voting protections are violated. It will help fill the hole left by the Shelby County v. Holder court decision in 2013, which severely weakened Section 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act.

The Section 5 provisions went into effect on July 1. The bill’s section about prescribing voting and election materials in languages other than English went into effect on Sept. 1.

In the wake of former President Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election, Republican lawmakers in other states proposed laws to make it harder for people to vote.

Last Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 1, which he coined the "Texas' election integrity bill." The bill is expected to take effect three months after the special legislative session, in time for the 2022 primary elections. The new law places many new restrictions on voting in Texas.

“While other states pass new legislation to restrict voting rights, Virginia is now a national leader in protecting the right to vote with one of the strongest laws in the country,” McClellan said in a statement Monday.

The signing ceremony was held Monday in Newport News.

“In many ways the transatlantic slave trade began in Hampton Roads, and this community has been the center of so many important civil rights battles. It was fitting, then, that we came together today in Newport News for the Governor's bill signing,” Price said.

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