Senate Resolution No. 704

BY: Senator WEBB

COMMEMORATING the 58th Anniversary of the Voting
Rights Act of 1965

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commemorate
significant events which represent turning points in our unique history
and which are indelibly etched in the saga of our great Nation; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 58th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to be
celebrated at an event on Sunday, August 6, 2023; and

WHEREAS, During this auspicious occasion, it is imperative to raise
awareness and educate all Americans on their right to vote on a local,
state, and/or federal level; and

WHEREAS, On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the
Voting Rights Act into law; this landmark piece of federal legislation
in the United States prohibits racial discrimination in voting; Congress
later amended the Act five times to expand its protections; and

WHEREAS, Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution,
the Act allowed for a mass enfranchisement of racial minorities
throughout the country, especially in the South; according to the United
States Department of Justice, the Act is considered to be the most
effective piece of civil rights legislation ever enacted in this
country; and

WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Act of 1965's effects were wide and
powerful; by 1968, nearly 60 percent of eligible African Americans were
registered to vote in Mississippi, and other southern states showed
similar improvement; and

WHEREAS, Today, almost six decades later, the struggle for voting
rights remains, even though the freedom to vote is fundamental to our
democracy; and

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to commemorate
events of significance in the history and progress of society; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 58th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Rejoice the Vote.