The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was one of the most consequential civil rights laws in our nation’s history.
It was enacted because, for generations, Black Americans and other communities of color were systematically denied access to the ballot through poll taxes, literacy tests, intimidation, discriminatory district maps, and countless other barriers.
The Voting Rights Act said clearly: the right to vote cannot depend on the color of your skin.
For decades, one of the law’s strongest protections was preclearance. States and local governments with histories of voting discrimination had to receive federal approval before changing certain voting laws or procedures.
But over the last 13 years, several Supreme Court decisions have significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act.
In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Supreme Court effectively ended the preclearance system by striking down the formula that determined which jurisdictions were covered.
That fundamentally shifted the burden.
Instead of stopping discriminatory voting changes before they could harm voters, communities increasingly had to challenge those laws after they went into effect.≤m./
op÷≥k the Court made certain challenges to voting restrictions under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act more difficult.
And this year, the Supreme Court went further.
In Louisiana v. Callais (2026), the Court significantly narrowed how Section 2 applies to redistricting. The majority held that Section 2 liability requires circumstances creating a strong inference of intentional racial discrimination.
The Voting Rights Act still exists.
But some of the strongest tools created to prevent and remedy racial discrimination in voting have been significantly weakened.
Why should people of faith care?
Because voting is not simply about politics.
Voting is one way our neighbors participate in shaping our common life together.
The people we elect make decisions about whether families have food, whether children have strong schools, whether people can access health care, whether housing is affordable, how we care for God’s creation, how immigrants and refugees are treated, and whether every person can participate fully in our democracy.
The ELCA calls Lutherans into civic life not as partisans, but as people committed to our neighbors and the common good.
And here in Nevada, voting access is not an abstract issue.
Tribal communities, rural voters, naturalized citizens, students, older adults, people with disabilities, low-income voters, people without reliable transportation, and neighbors whose names or addresses have changed can encounter very different barriers to participating in our elections.
When the Voting Rights Act becomes weaker, preventing and remedying discrimination can become harder.
For Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada, the question is not which political party benefits.
The question is:
Can every eligible neighbor participate in our democracy freely, safely, fairly, and with dignity?
Election security and voting access do not have to be competing values. A healthy democracy requires both.
As people of faith, we can help.
We can share accurate, nonpartisan election information.
We can help neighbors check their voter registration.
We can support accessible polling places and voting options.
We can volunteer as poll workers and with nonpartisan voter-protection efforts.
We can listen to Tribal communities and other communities that have historically experienced barriers to the ballot.
And we can advocate when public policies make it harder for eligible voters to participate.
Sixty-one years after the Voting Rights Act became law, its promise remains unfinished.
But weakening the law does not mean that people of faith are powerless.
We can organize.
We can educate.
We can accompany.
We can advocate.
And we can continue to proclaim something fundamental to our Lutheran understanding of public life:
Our neighbor’s voice matters.
