Reagan Renews the Voting Rights Act Making Section 2 Permanent June 29, 1982
On June 29, 1982 President Ronald Reagan signed a 25-year extension of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Though the Act had been renewed twice before by Presidents Nixon and Ford, the 1982 reauthorization made Section 2 of the VRA permanent. This section of the bill prohibited the violation of voting rights by any practices that discriminated based on race, regardless of if the practices had been adopted with the intent to discriminate or not. This amendment of Section 2 had a significant impact on minority representation in Congress.
To read more how the 1982 Amendments to the Voting Rights Act change minority representation in Congress visit www.avoiceonline.org.