“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is on Life Support” The Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) is one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965, with the purpose of enforcing the 15th Amendment, which guarantees that no citizen shall be denied the right to vote on account of race or color. Immediately after passage, voter registration and participation among African Americans in the South rose drama