Letter to the editor: Trump's attacks on voting rights

This week marked the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, landmark legislation that helped to expand civil rights and combat systemic racism at the ballot box. As President Lyndon B. Johnson and activists affirmed, voting access is a central pillar of our democracy. Unfortunately, the VRA was needed because of attacks on that right — attacks that certainly didn’t cease with its passage.

In 2013, the United States Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, making it easier for states to openly discriminate against voters of color and paving the way for the introduction of at least 70 new bills restricting voting access around the country. And instead of standing up for Pennsylvania voters and pushing back on these measures, President Trump piled on.

Today, Trump and his far-right allies are suing to suppress the vote in Pennsylvania and working to illegitimately purge voter rolls. They’re intentionally making it harder to vote. These actions are part of a broader effort by Trump and his allies to suppress the voices of everyday Pennsylvanians. We can’t let them win.

Let’s use this anniversary to think about what’s on the line on Nov. 3.

Gina Cerilli

Hempfield