This essay examines the current state of voting rights in America on the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It identifies sophisticated legal strategies being used to restrict voting access, documents recent victories in the fight for voting rights, and proposes a comprehensive strategy for both defending existing rights and building a more inclusive democratic system. Through a "Vision 2100" blueprint, this essay presents a 75-year plan for transforming American democracy around the principles of full participation, inclusion, and equity.

Introduction: The 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act

As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we stand at a pivotal moment in America's democratic journey. This landmark legislation transformed our electoral landscape, expanding political power for millions of Black Americans who had been systematically denied their constitutional right to vote.

Six decades later, we face a renewed assault on voting rights that is as coordinated as it is insidious. However, this moment should not be viewed as a setback but rather as a setup—an opportunity for us to become the founders and architects of a new, more inclusive America. Like the original founders, but with a more expansive vision of who belongs in the democratic process, we can redesign and rebuild our democracy to fulfill its highest ideals.

The Historical Context: From Reconstruction to Today

America's voting rights struggle has unfolded across three distinct periods:

• The First Reconstruction (1865–1877) established constitutional protections for formerly enslaved people before Jim Crow laws systematically dismantled these gains.
• The Second Reconstruction (Civil Rights Movement) culminated in the 1965 Voting Rights Act, whose Section 5 preclearance provision effectively blocked discriminatory voting changes for decades.
• Today’s Struggle began in 2013 with the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted the VRA's preclearance formula. Now, as we enter what Bishop William Barber calls the “Third Reconstruction,” we must both defend existing rights and build a more expansive democratic framework.

Modern Voter Suppression Tactics: Twisting Federal Law

Right-wing attorneys and elected officials now employ what I call the “trifecta of voter suppression”:

1. Restrictive Legislation Misrepresenting Federal Authority
   The SAVE Act exemplifies how lawmakers distort Constitutional authority by imposing citizenship documentation requirements far beyond federal law. These legal maneuvers confuse Congress’s regulatory power with states’ administrative authority, establishing dangerous precedents.
2. Judicial Reinterpretation of Settled Law
   Georgia’s plan to purge 455,000 voters based on novel interpretations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) reflects a calculated misreading of its maintenance provisions. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, between 2021 and 2024, states passed 79 restrictive voting laws, and 2024 alone saw nearly 300 such bills considered in at least 40 states—an unprecedented attack on voting rights.
3. Post-Election Challenges Redefining Due Process
   In North Carolina, a losing Supreme Court candidate challenged 65,000 ballots after losing by 734 votes. This attempt to redefine a “qualified voter” post-election poses a severe threat to democratic stability.

Resistance is Not Futile: Victories Against the Odds

Despite these efforts, resistance has borne fruit. Civil rights organizations have secured major legal victories:

• NAACP Legal Defense Fund won Allen v. Milligan (2023), forcing Alabama to create a second Black-majority congressional district.
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights secured an injunction against anti-DEI executive orders.
• ACLU extended voter registration deadlines after Hurricane Helene.
• The Leadership Conference helped confirm judges committed to protecting voting rights.
• Transformative Justice Coalition mobilized to defend mail voting access in battleground states.

These successes prove that resistance is not only viable—it is vital.

Engaging the Public in Democratic Defense

To secure lasting change, we must mobilize through a three-pronged strategy:

1. Legal Counteroffensives

Legal action is our first line of defense. Executive Orders can and must be challenged. Civil rights organizations continue to confront these distortions through strategic litigation. However, litigation alone is insufficient—we must supplement it with political, economic, electoral, and organizing strategies.

Public involvement is essential. People can support these efforts by:

• Joining legal observer programs
• Contributing to legal defense funds
• Sharing accessible explanations of complex legal issues

2. Community Mobilization

Grassroots action builds the people power necessary for systemic defense.

• Organize Locally: Build voting rights coalitions and run for election boards.
• Educate Constantly: Create Liberation Summer schools based on the Civil Rights-era Freedom Schools.
• Mobilize Voters: Launch targeted voter registration drives tailored to local barriers.

3. Impacting Corporate Bottom Lines

Economic leverage can drive political accountability.

• Economic Boycotts: The Target boycott shows how consumer pressure influences corporate behavior.
• Corporate Accountability: Black Voters Matter has led campaigns to force corporations to oppose voter suppression bills.
• Resource Reallocation: We’ve invested millions in grassroots groups best positioned to engage their communities.

Vision 2100: Architects Drafting a Democratic Blueprint

The 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act challenges us to reimagine ourselves as the architects of a more inclusive democracy. Vision 2100 outlines a 75-year plan for safeguarding and expanding voting rights as we approach the next century.

Key components of this long-term democratic blueprint include:

• Universal automatic voter registration and civic duty voting
• Abolition of the Electoral College
• Creation of a Department of Democracy
• Diverse representation on local election boards
• Judiciary reforms to secure voting rights
• Statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
• A southern strategy investing in grassroots organizing
• Economic democracy frameworks linking political power with economic opportunity

Conclusion: Architects of a More Perfect Democracy

Frederick Douglass told us, “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” Those who benefit from a restricted democracy will not willingly yield that power. It falls to us—the people—to demand a new democratic reality.

We must embrace our role as architects of democracy. Institutions like the Center for the 14th Amendment at Howard University, founded by Sherrilyn Ifill, exemplify the dual mission of defending and reimagining constitutional rights.

The future has a past. We honor that past by building a future worthy of those who fought and died for freedom. Their dream of full democracy remains our blueprint. But the labor is ours now—to lay brick upon brick.

We are the founders of this next chapter. The only question that remains is whether we have the courage, creativity, and commitment to realize the democracy we desire and deserve—one rooted in inclusion, equity, and justice for all.

REFERENCES

Barber, W. J. (2016). The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and the Rise of a New Justice Movement. Beacon Press.

Black Voters Matter Fund. (2022). Local Organizations Launch Accountability Campaign Targeting TX Business for Supporting Voter Suppression. https://blackvotersmatterfund.org/local-organizations-launch-accountability-campaign-targeting-t-x-business-for-supporting-voter-supression/

Brennan Center for Justice. (2022). Voting Laws Roundup 2022. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-2022

Brown, L. (2020). The Playboy Symposium: As Goes the South. Playboy Magazine. https://latoshabrown.com/news/the-playboy-symposium-as-goes-the-south/

Cascio, E. U., & Washington, E. (2014). Valuing the Vote: The Redistribution of Voting Rights and State Funds Following the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(1), 379-433.

Equal Justice Initiative. (2017). Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror.

Leadership Conference Education Fund. (2019). Democracy Diverted: Polling Place Closures and the Right to Vote.

Rapoport, M. (2022, March 29). Miles Rapoport on how we can achieve universal voting [Interview]. Democracy Paradox. https://democracyparadox.com/2022/03/29/miles-rapoport-on-how-we-can-achieve-universal-voting/

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. (1965). Voting in Mississippi.