June Update on the LWVKY and the Voting Rights Advancement Act
This month the Kentucky League has been finishing up its work on behalf of the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA) with a flurry of activity:
Virtual Town Hall Meeting – Panelists, Secretary Trey Grayson, Professor Josh Douglas, and Rev. Clark Williams did a terrific job of explaining the VRAA, discussing why it’s needed, and answering questions on how the League might effectively work for its passage.
Courier-Journal Op Ed – The League’s Op Ed, asking Kentucky’s Senators to support the VRAA, was printed in the Sunday edition of the Forum Section.
Calls to Senator McConnell’s Field Offices – Jennifer Jackson and Cindy Heine had a conference call with the Senator’s Lexington Field Office, and Fran Wagner had a conference call with Louisville’s Field Office and Senator McConnell’s legal counsel in DC. The calls were cordial, but we did not receive encouragement that the Senator will support the VRAA.
In addition to the above, digital ads continue to run promoting the VRAA; letters to the editor appeared in several newspapers throughout the state; and radio ads are getting ready to run.
In March the Kentucky League received a $12,500, 3-month grant from National League to undertake an in-state advocacy and lobbying campaign to advance the VRAA. We’ve worked diligently since then to advance the chances for the passage of the VRAA.
Additional urgency for passage of the VRAA arose with recent racial incidents that highlight long-standing racial inequalities in our civil society. As the League wrote to the editors of the Courier-Journal, “the issues raised in the battle for passage of the VRAA – systemic voting suppression of black and poor people – are part of a pattern that has led to the frustration and rage currently being demonstrated in our streets.”
The battle for the passage of the VRAA will continue and so will the Kentucky League’s efforts to ensure its passage. Many thanks to Adrian Wallace who served as this campaign’s coordinator. His help, particularly in orchestrating our digital and virtual outreaches during a pandemic, has been invaluable.