Interesting…
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told black lawmakers Wednesday that he supports new voting rights protections they’ve championed, but said he won’t bypass a committee chairman to move legislation, according to a Democrat who attended the gathering.
“He said… Continue reading
Samantha Lachman reports for HuffPo.
Murkowski explained why she decided to back the bill in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 brought an end to the ugly Jim Crow period in American history. It is fundamentally… Continue reading
This is surprising (via Ari Berman).
For those keeping track, Rep. Sensenbrenner, a Republican, worked mostly with Democrats on the Voting Rights Amendment Act, which was seen by Democrats as a fairly watered down measure to restore a preclearance… Continue reading
Sen. McConnell tells the NYT that no VRA fix is necessary:
On Thursday, Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, said the law “has been a big success; it’s worked,” and suggested that a revision was not… Continue reading
The Hill:
House Republican leaders are slamming the brakes on voting rights legislation, insisting that any movement on the issue go through a key Republican committee chairman who opposes the proposal.
House Democrats are pressing hard on GOP leaders… Continue reading
Texas Tribune:
A voting rights bill introduced in Congress last week would subject Texas elections to new levels of federal scrutiny, but it would not invalidate the state’s controversial 2011 voter photo ID law that helped inspire it….
Asked… Continue reading
Ari Berman:
In a statement to The Nation, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), the lead GOP sponsor of the 2006 VRA reauthorization and the 2014 VRAA bill, reiterated his support for the VRA but declined to endorse the new bill.… Continue reading