Barack Obama 2013-01-01 1 Statement on the United States Supreme Court Ruling on the Voting Rights Act June 25, 2013 I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision today. For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act--enacted and repeatedly renewed by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress--has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans. Today's decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent. As a nation, we've made a great deal of progress towards guaranteeing every American the right to vote. But as the Supreme Court recognized, voting discrimination still exists. And while today's decision is a setback, it doesn't represent the end of our efforts to end voting discrimination. I am calling on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls. My administration will continue to do everything in its power to ensure a fair and equal voting process.