​PROTECTING DEMOCRACY THROUGH THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT: AN INTERVIEW WITH GREGORY T. MOORE

​​Jeremy Wang-Iverson, Gregory T. Moore | 22.02.2023

Over four decades, civil rights leader Gregory T. Moore has tirelessly worked to reform US voter registration laws. His goal is to safeguard the rights of racial minorities at the ballot box. We interviewed him about the ever-increasing threats to the 1965 Voting Rights Act and his views on the future of American democracy.

For more than 150 years, the history of Black people’s right to vote in the US has been marked by both progress and setbacks. One of its landmarks was the Voting Rights Act (VRA), signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, which resulted from a long-fought battle in the civil rights movement. The VRA banned discriminatory voting practices, like English literacy tests or poll taxes, and enforced specific restrictions on the election procedures of states with high levels of racial discrimination.

But the fight against voter suppression is far from over. Just a decade ago, one major section of the Voting Rights Act was deemed to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, and more cases with a potentially profound impact on voting rights are pending.

We invited Gregory T. Moore to share his views about historic battles and ongoing struggles for the basic principle of one person, one vote. Dedicated to breaking down barriers to full participation in American democracy for over 40 years, Moore is one of the leading voting rights advocates in the US. In recent years he has been active as President and CEO of the Promise of Democracy Foundation.

​The interview was conducted by Jeremy Wang-Iverson of Vesto PR & Books.

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