House prepares to debate renewal of Voting Rights Act

[struggle4progress]

By Lesley Clark

McClatchy Newspapers(MCT)

WASHINGTON - After a pillorying by civil rights groups, the House is poised to take up renewal of the landmark Voting Rights Act, which eliminated many discriminatory voting practices but opened a rift in the Republican Party.

Renewal of the act was delayed weeks ago after some House Republicans questioned the validity of the `60s-era legislation, particularly some Southern states that argued federal oversight was no longer necessary.

Other Republicans questioned the need for language assistance for voters, among them Rep. Cliff Stearns, an Ocala, Fla., Republican who unsuccessfully pushed a provision that would have ended a federal mandate requiring foreign-language assistance. In Miami-Dade County, it involves providing ballots in Spanish and Creole, and in Broward County, ballots in Spanish ...

Civil rights groups said Friday they plan to hold a vigil outside the Capitol on Wednesday - a vigil National Urban League president Marc Morial said he hopes "will become more of a celebration of the bill's passage than a protest against congressional inaction." ...

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/14996916.htm

[TomClash]

1. And what's there to prepare or debate?

[AirAmFan]

3. Given the opportunity, House Republicans would REVERSE all the major

provisions from the 60s, while bragging about how they "saved" the minority franchise.

How about a quick English Literacy test when getting your official State Picture ID card (ie, paying your poll tax)?.

How about banning the main methodology used to identify redistrictng that dilutes minority voting power?

How about extending "pre-clearance" to EVERY state, so that no resources will be available to investigate disfranchisement in Mississippi, Louisiana, or Alabama (they'll all be tied up in Minnesota and New York)?

How about enshrining "felon disfranchisement" in Federal voting law, so that there can be Florida-style Choicepoint minority voter purges in every state?

Meanwhile, spineless Democrats will maintain silence about "felon disfranchisement" of 20 percent of African-Americans in some states, taxation without representation in DC, "caging" directed at minority zipcodes from RNC headquarters, armed intimidation of minority voters at polling places; discriminatory locations for "early voting" sites, etc, etc.

[TomClash]

4. So I'm actually right for once

None of that is worthy of debate, let alone passage.

[Toots]

2. Debate for voting rights of Americans

DEBATE,,,,Where are any Democratic voices? DEBATE,,,, It is no wonder Democrats don't stand a chance in this country....:crazy: DEBATE....