The Voting Rights Act of 1965

 

Center for Civic Education: Voting Rights Act of 1965: The Struggle for Civil Rights, Part 7

• The Civil Rights Act ended legal segregation, but voting discrimination continued.

• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made voting fairer and removed barriers like literacy tests.

• The Voting Rights Act Sect 203 allowed federal oversight in states with histories of voter discrimination.

• Voting rights remain important today

Word or Phrase	Meaning in Simple English
Segregation	Separation of people by race
Voting Rights Act	A law (from 1965) that protects voting rights
Literacy test	A test used to stop people from registering
Federal oversight	Government watching voting in certain states
U.S. Supreme Court	The highest court in the United States
Voter registration	Signing up to vote
Voting restrictions	Rules that make voting harder

Learn more:

• Padlet: Voting and Election Resources for Adult Ed Students
• Preparing for the Oath: Voting
• uscitizenpod:  Yésica Sánchez: A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs about Voting and Elections pdf
• VOA: US Voting Rights Act Turns 50