Voting Rights Act Update
By Matt Caruso
Posted on Tue Jun 20, 2006 at 04:47:11 PM EST
The U.S. Senate judiciary committee is meeting tomorrow (21 June) for another hearing on VRA renewal at 2 PM eastern. The provisions set to expire are: Section 5, requiring Department of Justice approval for changes in voting procedures in regions with a history of discrimination; Sections 6 - 9, allowing the U.S. Attorney to act if there is evidence of minority voter intimidation; and Section 203, requiring bilingual ballots in districts with high levels of non-English speakers.
There have also been recent editorials of note arguing for VRA renewal (click to read more).
The Miami Herald writes that the "law's successes should not be held against its renewal." Congress should not wait until after the 4 July summer recess to renew the provisions of the VRA that are set to expire.
The Philadelphia Inquirer argues that the temporary provisions must be renewed because they continue to be invoked by the Department of Justice. While the 1965 Voting Rights act was a "landmark of American history," it should not be relegated to "high school history books."
Tags: vra, voting rights act, civil rights, voting (all tags)
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