USCCB bishop urges renewed commitment to Voting Rights Act on 61st anniversary

Bishop Daniel Garcia, bishop of Austin and chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, issued a statement Aug. 5 underscoring the importance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and encouraging all citizens to vote ahead of the law’s 61st anniversary.

The legislation, signed into law Aug. 6, 1965, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, advanced equal access to the ballot and outlawed literacy tests, which were used for decades to prevent many black Americans from voting.

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 emerged from the sacrifices and perseverance of countless individuals who worked to secure the fundamental right to vote, particularly for communities of color that had long faced discrimination and exclusion,” Bishop Garcia said.

Bishop Garcia cited Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which stated that the Catholic Church values democracy insofar as it guarantees citizens’ effective participation as a reflection of their dignity. 

“For decades, the U.S. bishops have advocated for the right of eligible citizens to participate fully in public life, including the protection of voting rights,” Bishop Garcia said. “We encourage all citizens to exercise their right to vote and urge policymakers to safeguard voting rights and promote fair representation for all. Today is also an occasion to remember the hard-won history of voting rights in our country, and to recommit to the work which remains.”

He encouraged Americans to work for the common good and for a society “in which all citizens are able to participate fully and faithfully in our democracy.”