( CNN ) -- Tuesday , Attorney General Eric Holder delivers a major speech on voting rights at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin , Texas . The location is significant : In 1965 , President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law , a landmark piece of civil rights legislation that banned the worst forms of racial discrimination in American elections . Over the past five decades , the VRA and other federal and state election reforms have greatly expanded access to the ballot box . As a testament to their success , the 2008 presidential electorate was the largest and most demographically diverse in the history of the United States . But the protections the VRA affords have not lost their relevance , or their indispensability . In the past year , lawmakers in 40 states have introduced legislation that would make it harder for all eligible Americans to vote -- and harder disproportionately for people of color , young Americans , and our seniors . Some Southern states , like Florida , South Carolina , and Texas , have not only passed legislation restricting the right to vote , but also have refused to comply with their responsibilities under the VRA . The law requires certain states with histories of voting discrimination to submit any change in election law to the U.S. Department of Justice for `` preclearance '' before it can be implemented . Because these states for so long flaunted an obstinate refusal to allow African-Americans equal access to the voting booth , the VRA requires they demonstrate that new changes will not have a discriminatory effect . South Carolina and Texas both passed requirements that voters present restrictive forms of government-issued photo ID at polling places , even though 25 % of African-Americans and 19 % of Latinos lack the necessary form of ID . After passing their laws , both of these states filed preclearance letters with DOJ , but neither could explain how the new law avoided repeating an abhorrent history of discrimination . Florida severely restricted voter registration drives , although minority voters register through drives at twice the rate of white voters . The Sunshine State also cut early voting , the process through which more than half of the state 's African-Americans cast ballots in 2008 . Florida implemented its restrictive bill in violation of the VRA and only submitted the legislation for preclearance after it was sued in federal court . When DOJ questioned the discriminatory impact of these changes , Florida removed the most controversial parts of its law from the department 's consideration and instead asked a federal court to excuse it from its obligations under the VRA . These states are seemingly unable and have clearly failed to craft election laws that will affect all equally . And , apparently , they do n't even want to . Rather than work toward solutions that allow more eligible Americans to vote , some states have filed lawsuits arguing that parts of the VRA -- one of our nation 's most successful pieces of civil rights legislation -- are unconstitutional . Ensuring that all citizens can exercise their right to vote extends beyond just those states with significant histories of race discrimination . In 2011 , many other states have embarked on voter suppression efforts . In a new report , `` Defending Democracy , '' the NAACP and NAACP Legal Defense Fund examine the past year 's assault on voting , demonstrating that the `` onslaught of restrictive measures '' was `` designed to stem electoral strength among communities of color . '' This is only the latest in a series of reports highlighting the wrongheadedness of this movement against voting rights . Earlier this month , the Democratic National Committee 's Voting Rights Institute released a major report which said Republicans have undertaken this effort purely for partisan gain . Earlier this year , the Brennan Center for Justice and Advancement Project also released substantial reports . Testifying before Congress in November , Holder said that legislation aimed at voter suppression is `` inconsistent with what we say we are as a nation . '' I could n't agree more . Johnson signed the VRA to ensure that the right to vote extended to all Americans , regardless of their race . The VRA was more than just another federal law ; it was -- and remains -- the embodiment of years of struggle , resulting from countless sacrifices of brave men and women who built the civil rights movement . We must not allow a new generation of restrictions to condition the right to vote on arbitrary qualifications and discriminatory rules . I welcome Holder 's voice to the chorus of millions of Americans who have defended the sanctity of the vote . And I hope that DOJ will continue to move our nation forward and protect every eligible citizen 's fundamental right to vote . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile .
The reforms of the 1965 Voting Rights Act are under threat , says Donna Brazile . Brazile : Lawmakers in 40 states have introduced legislation that would make it harder to vote . But a new study shows that these laws don't actually prevent voter fraud. The Department of Justice must continue to safeguard American voting rights , Brazile says .