No, the Voting Rights Act is not in danger

No, the Voting Rights Act is not in danger

How many times have you heard that Republicans want to "disenfranchise" minority voters? Or that the conservatives on the Supreme Court have "gutted" the Voting Rights Act? Or that Congress might not "renew" its protections? Or that states that require voter ID or reduce the numbers of days of early voting are part of an attack on voting rights?

If you are unfamiliar with the specifics of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), the "voting rights are under attack" narrative may have seeped into your consciousness. But the truth does not even remotely resemble what you have likely heard. If the issue of voting rights were fairly reported, none of the following would come as a surprise:

Senate Democrats vote against penalizing ‘sanctuary cities’
Massachusetts

Senate Democrats vote against penalizing ‘sanctuary cities’

Evan Lips

Following U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's lead, Democrats on Tuesday blocked a Republican measure that would have banned the flow of federal dollars to so-called sanctuary cities, or municipalities that have policies barring police from working with federal immigration authorities.

Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, both Democrats, cast two of the 45 votes against the proposal, which garnered 54 yes votes but needed at least 60 to advance.

Read More