Following is a statement by Susan Corke, executive director of Democracy Defenders Fund, regarding the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Texas’s attempt to revise its electoral map to gain more Republican congressional seats.

“Sixty years ago, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. It was a landmark promise that every American would have a say in choosing their leaders, and that Black communities would no longer be shut out of full participation in our democracy. But that promise has been under attack for decades. And today, it's in danger of being erased.

“What’s happening in Texas is not simply about redistricting. It is an attempt to rig the rules at Donald Trump’s behest and manufacture Republican congressional districts to protect him from political accountability. This is not about representation. It is about control.

“We’ve read this book before. Over the past 25 years, the right to vote has faced a sustained assault. In 2013, the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder gutted the heart of the Voting Rights Act and unleashed a wave of voter suppression laws. In 2019, the Roberts Court gave the green light for partisan gerrymandering in Roche v. Common Cause on the grounds that it ‘presents political questions beyond the reach of the federal judiciary.’ In 2020, Trump spread the Big Lie, falsely claiming the election was stolen and targeting cities with large Black and brown populations that helped elect his opponent. In 2021, his allies in state legislatures introduced hundreds of bills to restrict access to the ballot, all under the false banner of ‘election integrity.’

“Now, in 2025, we are witnessing the next chapter. Trump’s allies in Texas are trying to redraw congressional maps to lock in GOP power and silence dissent. This is anti-democratic. The President and elected officials should not get to choose their voters. That is how cowards and authoritarians behave when they fear accountability, not how democratically elected officials should act.

“What’s happening in Texas is a critical test for an inclusive American democracy. If politicians can gerrymander their way out of consequences, the right to vote loses its power and voters lose their rights. If Texas Gov. Abbott succeeds and the courts allow this gerrymander to stand, the Voting Rights Act will eventually be little more than a historical artifact.

“We stand with the Texas legislators who are refusing to participate in this sham. We stand with the voters who are calling out this attempt to steal their rights.  And we call on elected officials, the courts, and the public to say enough is enough. Democracy only works if we are willing to defend it.”

“Too much is at stake to stay silent. Sixty years after the Voting Rights Act, the fight to fulfill its promise is unfinished.”

State Democracy Defenders Action brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country committed to upholding the rule of law, fighting against autocracy and defending the Constitution.