By Bishop Daniel E. Garcia said the Voting Rights Act was born from the sacrifice of those who fought to secure equal access to the ballot, especially for communities of color long denied that right.
A subcommittee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urged policymakers to protect “fair representation” in elections ahead of the 61st anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 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,” said Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, chair of the USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation.
The USCCB issued the statement on Aug. 5, one day before the anniversary. The Voting Rights Act was enacted to combat Jim Crow laws that were designed to disenfranchise Black Americans.
“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,” said Garcia, bishop of Austin, Texas. “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,” he added.
Garcia also said in his statement that “today, many communities of color worry about how recent developments will impact their fair representation and future participation in the democratic process.”
Recent developments could affect fair district maps, equal representation, and long‑term participation in elections. One development includes a 2013 Supreme Court decision, which ruled unconstitutional a provision of the Voting Rights Act that required certain states to obtain federal approval to change voting laws if that state had a history of disenfranchising voters.
Another development included a 2020 ruling that upheld Arizona election laws that required voters to cast ballots in their assigned precincts and banned people from submitting another person’s ballot (unless that person is a family or household member).
Rulings in 2023 and 2026 addressed racial gerrymandering, which is illegal under the Voting Rights Act. The 2023 ruling found a 2023 Alabama congressional district map to be illegal for not having any Black-majority districts and the 2026 ruling struck down Louisiana maps for relying too much on race in crafting districts.
Although racial gerrymandering is illegal, federal law does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering.
Garcia quoted Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, saying the bishops “affirm the value of democracy ‘insofar as it guarantees the effective participation of citizens’ as a reflection of their dignity.”
“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,” Garcia said.
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God didn’t become incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ to found a government or to engage in politics. Bishops need to stay the h#ll out of politics. Maybe they should concentrate on something that IS their responsibility – TEACHING THE FAITH.
Jesus did teach about politics. He told us that we should be involved in our civic duties like voting and paying taxes. The Bishops are following that teaching of God Himself and therefore teaching the faith.
Exactly where did Christ say anything about voting?
You’re mistaken yet again, Suzanne. Time to go back to the early Church documents to better inform yourself about Christ’s intention for establishing His Church. It certainly wasn’t to engage in political warfare.
I can’t image how awful it must be for you to be do smugly wrong!
Matthew 22:21
Jeremiah 29:7
Fair representation? What exactly is that? Is it fair that people who’ve never paid a dime in taxes voting to acquire, enhance or maintain conspicuous benefits?
Another day, another useless and nebulous political statement from the Bishops, who are running “just another NGO”.
The right to vote is not contingent upon taxes. You can refer to the US Constitution for more detail.
The Constitution was silent on taxes, because states determined voter qualifications and generally required property ownership (taxes). States removed the PO requirement gradually by 1856.
There was also no direct federal election for any other office than the House of Representatives and strict limits on federal individual taxes.
The first federal income tax was temporary and limited, ending in 1872. There was no permanent federal tax until 1913 and certainly no substantial direct payments to individuals, corporations or tax exempt entities. There was no administrative superstate subject to regulatory capture- but that’s not the argument (do try to pay attention).
The argument is that requiring taxes to vote would eliminate the inherent misalignment and conflict of interests between between payees and payers. We don’t let children make the grocery list.
We are careening to ruin, and we simply cannot survive the unrelenting incentivized extractions of those who do have a net negative contribution to the public treasury. We are $40T in acknowledged debt and with a `$32T GDP, and now firmly in banana republic territory. This works only as long as the world has an insatiable appetite for our junk bonds and that only occurs as long as King Dollar is the coin of the realm of international commerce.
You really should consider the dangers of a potential fiscal collapse. When governments die, the rule of law is often replaced by something far more arbitrary and capricious and those orders don’t favor the mentally infirm or situationally unaware. Like any non-permissive environment, they really imperil those afflicted with the Dunning Kruger cognitive bias.
Maybe our bishops could find a bit of time in their busy, busy schedules to, you know, preach the gospel?
The Gospel is all about justice. That’s what the Bishops are teaching. You may want to pay attention and learn something.
Your condescending conceit betrays striking ignorance. None of your emotive rants indicate any great erudition. Every indication is that you are the one with the need to pay attention and “learn something”.
Naysayers are demonstrably wrong. Sensitive voter data has been misused for decades, especially by Trump’s gerrymandering to develop district maps resulting in voter suppression, especially excluding voters of color. Gerrymandering has been used as early as the Jackson era to give an advantage to one party.
The Bishops are right to share their concerns about election fraud
Gerrymandering, redrawing state districts, is voter fraud leading to voter suppression.
SCOTUS madness: Although racial gerrymandering is illegal, FEDERAL LAW DOES NOT prohibit partisan gerrymandering. An example of their politically INTIMIDATED lack of control in their judicial system.
Trump has been directly influencing the election process for some time, especially since he became obsessed with his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.
Will the USCCB be welcomed to full discourse while balancing their sacred mission with their rights as US citizens?
Question to AI:
Provide an example of an internet poster that is reliable supplier of predictable, trite and vapid slogans, plagiarized from America, The Nation, The New Republic, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo and other left wing sites.
Considering Request:
Thinking:
Examining 500 websites that allow reader response:
Developing measurable attributes of predictability…
Developing measurable attributes of triteness..
Developing measurable attributes of vapidity..
Thinking….
Evaluating candidates…
Applying criteria….
morganD of Catholic World Report.