Texas Republicans Want To Repeal The Voting Rights Act
Texas Republicans believe the federal government has too much influence on how elections are conducted.
The Texas GOP platform, released Thursday, calls for the repeal of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965, the most successful civil-rights law in the nation’s history. It also supports scrapping the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which has helped millions register to vote. And it advocates making voters re-register every four years, among other restrictive policies.
In sum, the party wants to get the federal government out of the business of overseeing state elections—returning voting law to where it was before the civil rights movement.
“We urge that the Voter [sic] Rights Act of 1965, codified and updated in 1973, be repealed and not reauthorized,” the platform says…
Voting rights advocates are currently pushing Congress—with little success—to advance a bill that would strengthen the VRA in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Texas Republicans’ stance is a reminder that many conservatives want to go in the opposite direction.
mea_mark June 20th, 2014 at 10:06 am
This is probably the biggest reason to vote republicans out of office in Texas. If you want to make sure you have the right to vote in the future, vote the republicans out now before they take it away. I hope the rest of the nation can help stop the republicans in Texas from setting a dangerous precedent.
fahvel June 20th, 2014 at 10:19 am
wouldn’t it be interesting if another country sent some drones and “only” 300 advisers over to texas and forced them to accept equality and civil rights and human kindness and – oh hell – texas is a shit hole and even mexico won’t take it back as long as there are texans in it.
fancypants June 20th, 2014 at 2:15 pm
your in for a big fight with fox news since they think rick perry is now the guy to win the 2016 election ?
mea_mark June 20th, 2014 at 3:55 pm
Perry ain’t going to win. I doubt he even gets the nomination.
fancypants June 20th, 2014 at 8:21 pm
look what FN did for Romney only to be a flash in the pan on election night.
arc99 June 20th, 2014 at 10:33 am
Explain to me again right wingers why black folks should want anything to do with the Republican party when they advocate repeal of the most effective civil rights legislation in our history which also happens to have been passed through the very explicit authority of the US Constitution;,the content of which which most of you apparently don’t have a goddamn clue.
the federal government does not exert “too much” power over state electoral law. the federal government exercises the amount of power granted to it in the Constitution.
AMENDMENT XV
SECTION 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
SECTION 2.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Tom Ward June 20th, 2014 at 12:20 pm
IF, and this is a very big if for Texas, the act is not needed anymore, I could understand repealing it. Personally, I don’t think they’re ready for it. Alan has posted enough articles quoting republicans on voter ID laws who are trying to pass the laws for reasons other than voter ID to make me believe that. And a voter ID law passed for any other purpose other than voter ID is unconstitutional.
But, as you know the supreme court struck down a voter rights law last year because essentially they determined it wasn’t needed anymore:
“Voting Rights Act Section 4 Struck Down By Supreme Court”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/25/voting-rights-act-supreme-court_n_3429810.html
So this could become a very controversial issue.
mea_mark June 20th, 2014 at 12:47 pm
Actually the SCOTUS asked congress to fix the VRA years ago but congress is dysfunctional so they struck down parts of it. It is time to replace it with a federal rules on voting that are consistent nation wide. If we were only voting for local leaders the states rules might work. We are also voting for national leaders so we need fair voting laws that apply to everyone equally on a national level.
Dwendt44 June 20th, 2014 at 1:24 pm
Good luck getting many Republicans to go along with that. They know that the only way they can keep their power is with voter suppression. They’d likely lose most of their governors, and, should re-redistricting require a non-partisan committee in each state, most of their state legislatures too.
mea_mark June 20th, 2014 at 1:42 pm
It’s just a matter of time. Next time the republicans lose the house look for changes.
Judgeforyourself37 June 20th, 2014 at 8:17 pm
That cannot happen too soon for me.
arc99 June 20th, 2014 at 5:56 pm
hello Tom, what I find particularly annoying is that nothing in the 15th amendment requires Congress to periodically review the legislation they have passed under their granted authority. Yet, people who consider themselves to be “strict constructionists” were quite happy for the Court to impose a requirement that appears nowhere in the 15th amendment.
Maxx44 June 20th, 2014 at 12:02 pm
Why anyone other than rich angry white men, loony evangelicals, or people who enjoy voting against their own best interests want anything to do with the GOP is beyond me.
Tom Ward June 20th, 2014 at 12:11 pm
The question is: Can we repeal the VRA without disenfranchising a single voter? If the answer is no, then the act must not be repealed. If the answer is yes, then the act must be repealed because the more things we can do without the federal government, the
better.
fahvel June 20th, 2014 at 12:25 pm
so, should your govt only pave roads, make war, and build bridges? Or might they do things that bring positive improvement to the general public – you know, like voting and the INTEGRITY of the vote or helping to feed the poor or make medical treatment available to all – where do you draw your line in the sand?
granpa.usthai June 20th, 2014 at 12:38 pm
and if the VRA is repealed but it’s determined that a single voters were disenfranchised, is the election declared null and void or are the ‘winners’ allowed to remain in office like unto GW Bush in 2001?
I think even the Republicans would agree a governmental body would be less than effective when a sizable portion of the population ‘feels’ like they are being disenfranchised – even if they were instructed by ‘God’ to do it.
mea_mark June 20th, 2014 at 12:18 pm
Trolling me, a moderator because you don’t like something I said on another thread http://www.alan.com/2014/06/19/maliki-says-he-wont-step-down/#comment-1444728903 is probably not the best use of your time. It certainly isn’t going to earn you any favors. Faites attention.
fahvel June 20th, 2014 at 12:28 pm
I’m sorry – I do not quite know what trolling means – I have yet to find fault with any of your posts in the past and I don’t see how this comment of mine is trolling. – expliquez stp.
Anomaly 100 June 20th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
Please, just don’t troll the mods. They’re here and on my site on a volunteer basis and they work hard.
Obewon June 20th, 2014 at 12:47 pm
Texas is turning Blue! That cements today’s GOP as a regional only party having no path to the 270 Electoral Votes required to elect any POTUS:) Thank you Bush & Halliburton Cheney!
-50 years ago this month thousands of college students came to Mississippi to help register black citizens to vote http://1.usa.gov/1prOYR0 Civil Rights Hero John Lewis @RepJohnLewis Tweeted this 2 hours ago
mea_mark June 20th, 2014 at 1:47 pm
If we Texans can thwart the republicans schemes at voter suppression, Texas will be blue soon. I think more people, especially democrats, would vote more often if they thought their vote counted. As soon it really looks like the tide is turning, it will turn in a hurry.
Bunya June 20th, 2014 at 2:07 pm
I hope you guys are right, ’cause at this moment I really hate Texas.
mea_mark June 20th, 2014 at 3:57 pm
Just try and remember it the rural rednecks that are the problem, the people in the cities are pretty good.
pmbalele June 20th, 2014 at 4:38 pm
Here is what I wrote today to the 7th Circuit federal court: “I would like to differ with the 7th Circuit ruling on James Nichols vs. Michigan City Plant Planning Department/Michigan City Area Schools Case No. No. 13-2893. Specifically I was really disappointed and angry when Ann Williams wrote as follows: “Nichols claims that Johnston’s alleged “black n—-r” comment constitutes severe harassment. We have stated that while there is no “magic number of slurs” that indicates a hostile work environment, an “unambiguously racial epithet falls on the ‘more severe’ end of the spectrum.” Cerros v. Steel Technologies, Inc., 398 F.3d 944, 950 (7th Cir. 2005). However, while referring to colleagues with such disrespectful language is deplorable and has no place in the workforce, one utterance of the n-word has not generally
been held to be severe enough to rise to the level of establishing liability.
Smith v. N.E. Ill. Univ., 388 F.3d 559, 566 (7th Cir. 2004).” That hurt me.
Really! I see Ann Williams is a racial minority. She also could be Black with
White blood in her. Therefore she is Black. Just imagine her fellow White judges
referred or called her “the N female judge” only once. I don’t think she will
like that. Actually she will feel angry and out of place among White judges at
the 7th circuit. I could not sleep after reading that she condoned that the “N”
word is not severe. Of course it slips off and on in our Black community. But
nobody tolerates that word being used by Whites on a Black person. The N word to
me is last insult a Black person can be called by employer and especially by
White employer. We have higher unemployment in the Black communities because
many employers, most of who are White, still think of us as N people –
completely useless and intellectually inferior to Whites. I have been following
7th decisions for a long time now. I have come to conclusion their decisions are
racially motivated and have enabled employers both in government and private
sectors continue to discriminate against Blacks and other racial minorities.
These Republican appointed judges usually don’t want to see how employers
discriminate against Blacks and other racial minorities. Their concept of life
is so distorted by the way they were raised-Blacks and other racial minorities
are intellectually inferior to Whites. I believe some may belong to KKK groups.
Racial discrimination will not be wiped out in the 7th Circuit because it is
enabled by Republican appointed federal judges. This case belonged to the jury
not at summary judgment. In fact I have found even district judges in the 7th
circuit have propensity to dismiss cases at summary judgment or at failure to
state claim stages. District judges are afraid their judgments will be overturn
if they rule for Black plaintiffs. Please Judge Ann talk to your fellow judges
to overrule Cerros v. Steel Technologies, Inc., 398 F.3d 944, 950 (7th Cir.
2005) and Smith v. N.E. Ill. Univ., 388 F.3d 559, 566 (7th Cir. 2004). The N
word is so offensive even if only used once by employer. I hope Nichols will
appeal this case to the US Supreme Court.
Rixar13 June 20th, 2014 at 9:30 pm
It’s how Conservatives steal elections… /s
SkeeterVT June 21st, 2014 at 3:27 am
What more proof do you need that the Republican Party of Texas has become a extremist right-wing fringe party whose members are unfit to hold elective office — even for a conservative “red” state? KICK TMEM OUT OF OFFICE AND KEEP THEM OUT until they come to their senses and return to the mainstream.