Impact

"By opening the gates to millions of Americans, we also enhanced our reputation as a decent nation and expanded the pool of talent and energy. None of the other civil rights acts could have been successful without ending discrimination in the right to vote."
- Email Interview, Walter Mondale, Former Vice President, and Former Senator, November 23, 2012

The Voting Rights Act impacted the United States economically, politically, and socially. The enhanced enforcement measures of this law re-enfranchised minority voters, allowing them to effectively address entrenched racial issues via the polls.

Handbill passed out in Selma, SCLC January 1965
Source: Handbill in possession of David Garrow, Historian