California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber will host an event on Aug. 25 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – landmark federal legislation that outlawed discriminatory voting practices and expanded ballot access nationwide.
The program will feature a panel discussion examining both the historic passage of the act and its modern-day impact on elections, with particular attention to California’s role in advancing voting rights. The event will also include a special exhibit curated by the California State Archives, a division of the Secretary of State’s office.
Organizers said the commemoration will provide an opportunity to reflect on how far the nation has come since 1965 while acknowledging that the work of ensuring equal access to the ballot continues…