Quote of the Day
“The fact of the matter is we have a Voting Rights Act; it is very strong.”
–Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chair of House Judiciary Committee, explaining his opposition to an updated Voting Rights Act.
(h/t Zack Roth)
Category Archives: VRAA
Democrats Have Stronger Proposal to Amend Voting Rights Act, But Huge Obstacles to Enacting It
Ari Berman has the scoop on a new “Voting Rights Advancement Act” (not to be confused with the earlier “Voting Rights Amendment Act”) to fix what many see are problems with the Supreme Court’s gutting of the precelarance provisions two… Continue reading
Remember When People Were Hoping Sen. Cochran Would Supported Renewed Voting Rights Act?
That was thanks to African-American voters giving him a victory in a hard fought Republican primary runoff. Cochran has done nothing to support the VRAA. Meanwhile, he cannot even remember if he met AG nominee Loretta Lynch. NYT:
The… Continue reading
“Rob Portman says Voting Rights Act should get congressional review”
Plain Dealer:
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman said today that Congress should review the entire Voting Rights Act to evaluate how it is working. But he added that he doesn’t know if parts of it need to be strengthened.
This comes… Continue reading
“Selma’s Senator Not Really Sure What’s Going On With That Voting Rights Stuff”
“Honor Selma by Honoring Voting Rights”
“Why ‘Selma is Now’”
I have written this new essay for BillMoyers.com. It begins:
When singer-songwriter John Legend recently declared “Selma is now” at the Academy Awards, we could perhaps chalk it up to poetic license. After all, states no longer use… Continue reading
VRAA Reintroduced; Likely Not Going Anywhere in Republican Congress
“Civil Rights Leaders Upset Over Non-Voting Rights Act Hearing”
The Dallas Weekly reports. I think in the headline the “Non-” should be modifying hearing not voting rights.
Common Cause to Rep. Goodlatte: “Discrimination Isn’t a Thing of the Past”
“Honor King’s Legacy By Protecting Voting Rights”
Ari Berman:
The film Selma movingly chronicles Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight to win the Voting Rights Act (VRA). It ends with King speaking triumphantly on the steps of the Alabama capitol, after marching from Selma to Montgomery. Five… Continue reading
Rep. Conyers on the VRA and VRAA
WaPo profile:
Conyers and House Democrats plan to spend this year drawing attention to ongoing concerns with voting rights after the Supreme Court invalidated parts of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. The court struck down sections of the law… Continue reading
The VRAA, as Expected, is Going Nowhere in the New Congress
MSNBC:
A top Republican has all but confirmed that Congress won’t move forward with legislation to strengthen the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which was badly weakened by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who chairs the House… Continue reading
“Blackmailing Scalise”
Roger Clegg fights back against attempts to use the Scalise controversy to reinvigorate the attempts to fix and amend the Voting Rights Act.