The Voting Rights Act at 50

By Marjorie R. Esman
Guest Columnist

This year marks cash advance with unemployment check the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6th, 1965. After decades of intimidation and overt suppression of the minority vote, the VRA was created to end racial discrimination in voting and to provide nationwide protection for voting rights. States were prohibited from imposing any law that discriminated against racial or language minorities or to use any device like literacy tests that historically disenfranchised racial minorities. The Voting Rights Act is one of the most important documents of the civil rights era, but 50 years later how is it faring against constant challenges to circumvent its effectiveness?

The VRA was severely damaged in 2013 when the Supreme Court ruled, in Shelby v. Holder, that one of the Act’s fundamental provisions, Section 4, was unconstitutional. When the VRA was enacted loan note 50 years ago the federal government recognized that certain “jurisdictions,” mostly southern states, had particularly strong histories of racial discrimination in voting. Section 4 created a formula to identify those states, and the succeeding Section 5 required those states to obtain the federal government’s approval before changing any of their voting laws. Striking down Section 4 killed two critical components of voting protections.. Without Section 4, Section 5 was also nullified. In their decision the court ruled that “things have changed dramatically” in the South in the nearly 50 years since the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1965. And while that may be true, that doesn’t mean that we don’t still need voting protection.

People have always tried to control the electoral outcome by controlling who votes. In the U.S., that has often meant keeping minorities away from the polls. payday advance roland ok The poll taxes and literacy tests used to disenfranchise voters 50 years ago have been replaced by more subtle tactics. Now, strict photo ID requirements in some states attempt to disenfranchise minorities, low-income people, and some students who are more inclined to have problems obtaining the required government issued ID. Reduced early voting days and eliminating pre-registration and same-day registration also target these groups. A study by the Brennan Center for Justice found that of the 11 states with the highest African American voter turnout in 2008, seven have passed laws making it harder to vote, and of the 12 states with the largest Hispanic population growth in 2010, nine have passed new restrictive voting laws. Since the 2010 midterm election, 22 states have passed new voting requirements. Those 22 states account for 57 percent of the country’s African-American population.

Here personal loans no credit bad credit in Louisiana, our ID requirements are better than many, because people have the right to vote by affidavit if they lack the ID requested at the polls. Still, redistricting and other mechanisms exist, now without federal oversight that can affect the outcome of elections by reducing the strength of minority voting. Without the need for federal approval, Louisiana – a state with a notorious history of depriving minorities of their right to vote – might end up doing that again.

For instance, early voting and same-day registration have become very popular among minorities and working people who depend on the obvious convenience of more voting days. The Brennan Center reported that between 2004 and 2008 the number of African Americans who voted early tripled around the country. That trend continued in both the midterm elections of 2010 and the national elections in quick loan oklahoma city 2012. But since 2011, eight states that saw an increase in minority early voting have cut back on early voting days. The ACLU filed a law suit against the state of Ohio last year when officials there cut the first week of early voting. “Golden Week” was particularly popular among African-American voters be-cause they could also register at the polls. By comparison, more than 157,000 people voted during the same period in the 2012 elections in Ohio. In Louisiana we have to ensure that access to the polls remains easy and available to everyone, so that those who need flexible dates or hours retain the right to cast their votes.

Expand the right to vote

The right to vote is a building block of American democracy, along with freedom of speech and religion. But the right to vote is challenged so often personal loans in fort lauderdale fl and at so many levels that some people think it’s not worth the trouble. But the fact is that every eligible person should be able to register and vote without unnecessary roadblocks designed to discourage their participation. The Voting Rights Act has helped to enfranchise millions of minority voters, but 50 years later it is still under constant attack. Since the start of the 2015 legislation session 113 restrictive voting bills have been introduced or passed in 33 states. Organiza-tions like the Brennan Center, the ACLU and others are fighting back and getting results. The real victory comes at the voting booth when voters elect public officials who uphold the 14 and 15th Amendments and create laws and policies that expand the right of every eligible person to vote.

This article originally published in the September 14, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.