A day after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that critics say will erode voting rights, the Vermont House passed a measure designed to protect those rights.
The Vermont Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color or minority status and assures voting assistance where needed. It also criminalizes intimidation of voters and interfering with voting. The measure passed on a voice vote.
In a statement, House Speaker Jill Krowinski, a Democrat, says in part, “This bill comes at a crucial moment. Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that further weakens the Voting Rights Act - another example of voting rights coming under attack in this country... There is a great amount of anxiety around our fundamental right to vote, and the Vermont House of Representatives will continue to do everything in our power to increase access and protect Vermonters' right to vote.”
The Vermont Senate passed the bill in mid-March.
