This week marks 60 years since the Voting Rights Act was signed into law.
While much of the spotlight often falls on the South, the law’s impact reached all corners of the country – including right here in Idaho.
What you may not know is that Idaho's own constitution once required voters to read and speak English. That’s a barrier that, while less overt than literacy tests that were used in the South, was still struck down by the VRA.
Now six decades later new debates over voter access are once again taking center here in our state with proposals ranging from stricter ID laws to tighter registration deadlines.
Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel joins Idaho Matters for a look back at the Voting Rights Act and a look forward to the future of voting laws in the Gem State.
