Voting Rights Under Attack: Why Access to the Ballot Matters

Why This Matters

Inclusivity is one of the cornerstones of the Greensboro Holistic Collective. Creating spaces where people feel seen, respected, and able to participate fully in community life is part of our mission. Voting is one of the ways individuals make their voices heard, and access to that process affects the health of our communities.

Greensboro has a long history of civil rights advocacy, from the Greensboro Sit-Ins of 1960 to ongoing efforts to expand opportunity and representation. While perspectives on policy may differ, many people share a belief that civic participation should remain accessible and meaningful. As conversations about voting rights continue across North Carolina and the nation, understanding these changes helps us remain informed, engaged, and connected to the democratic process.

Editorial: Voting Rights Under Attack

RALEIGH—Recent changes to voting rules in North Carolina are disenfranchising racial groups through extreme redistricting aka gerrymandering, and younger voters through more restrictions on same-day registration and fewer campus voting sites. 

In April, Senate Bill 747 targeted younger voters as it upheld restrictions to same-day registration, suppressing their participation, according to the trial record.

This federal court decision is being appealed by the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, North Carolina Black Alliance, and Democracy North Carolina, who say this places more barriers to first-time voters and college students.

Then on April 29 the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in the Louisiana v. Callais case, weakening the section of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) prohibiting voting rules that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or language minority status. 

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said, “What the Supreme Court essentially did is destroy the most significant piece of policy legislation of the civil rights movement: the Voting Rights Act.”

This ruling is a “devastating setback for voting rights and a clear threat to our democracy,” said NAACP NC President Deborah Dicks Maxwell. 

In what’s being called “the most consequential SCOTUS case in over a decade,” the ruling allows states to “enact discriminatory maps with impunity.” (League of Women Voters) 

In her dissenting opinion, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan called this “the majority’s now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act.”

What we can do to protect democracy

“When the courts fail the people, the people must respond,” said Maxwell.

“Our power remains at the ballot box. We will organize, mobilize, and turn out voters to protect our communities and elect leaders who believe in fair representation and justice. Our democracy is under attack, and we will not be silent.”

For the latest on changes to the Voting Rights Act, see the recent League of Women Voters blog .