By Cierra Parks
On the first day of Black History Month, legislators advanced a bill to help ensure voter protection for Virginia citizens.
House Bill 1890, also known as the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, cleared the House in a 55-45 vote.
Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, modeled the bill after the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. Price’s bill aims to eliminate voter suppression, intimidation and discrimination through changes in voting laws and practices by election officials.
“Though the original Voting Rights Act was passed on the federal level in 1965, there are still attacks on voting rights today that can result in voter suppression, discrimination and intimidation,” Price said during the bill’s hearing. “We need to be clear that this is not welcome in our great commonwealth.”
The bill prohibits localities from influencing the results of elections…
