NATIONAL VOTING RIGHTS from Page 1
Five months later, Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. “Today is a triumph of freedom – as huge as any victory that’s ever been won on any battlefield,” Johnson said to Congress after signing the bill. “Yet, to seize the meaning of this day, we must recall darker times.”
posed to get rid of those perceived barriers have stalled. Linda Thornton Thomas, president of the Prince George’s County NAACP branch, suggested putting voting rights within the U.S. Constitution. We have all sorts of these rights we live with but the most important part of our rights is voting,” DID SUPREME COURT she said. “Some people say, ‘NothBRING DARKNESS ing will change.’ It may not but at least you have a voice and can do BACK INTO VOTING something about it. Doing noth- RIGHTS? Based on the 2013 Shelby Couning presents no changes. Voting is one of the few fundamental rights ty v. Holder case, the U.S. Supreme where everyone can have a say in Court voted 5-4 that restricted the U.S. Justice Department to assess what they want.” Prior to the Voting Rights Act and preapprove any election changbeing signed nearly 57 years ago es from states with a history of disby Johnson, Blacks traveled to the crimination. This allowed states to ballot box and selected officials who immediately alter, and which votsought municipal, county, state and ing advocates say, approve restrictive voting laws. federal offices. Then in July 2021, a vote by the In the early 1960s, several southmajority conserern states includvative Supreme ing Alabama, Court essentially Georgia, Missisgutted the Votsippi and Texas Two other laws ing Rights Act to passed laws such still remain under ban the collecas a poll tax and tion of absentee literacy tests discussion: ballots (except which made it by a relative or more difficult the John Lewis caregiver) and for Blacks to throw out ballots vote. Voting Rights cast in the wrong The late Rep. Advancement Act precinct. John Lewis, The lawsuit then a 25-yearand the Freedom came from Arold activist, led izona Repubhundreds of to Vote Act. licans and the people over the Republican NaEdmond Pettus tional CommitBridge in Seltee who argued ma, Alabama, to the court’s depeacefully procision prevents test voting disvoter fraud. It crimination and now rests with the murder of Jimmie Lee Johnson, a 26-year-old Congress to approve voting rights legislation. church deacon and activist. In 2021, Rep. Paul Sarbanes White state troopers and local police, some on horseback, greeted Lew- (D-Maryland) sponsored compreis and others with night sticks and hensive legislation called “For the tear gas. That day, March 6, 1965, People Act” to expand voting rights and reduce money in politics. And became known as “Bloody Sunday.”
16 AUGUST 4 - 10, 2022
LBJ Signs Voting Rights Act, Aug. 6, 1965
5 Vice President Kamala Harris talks about the importance of this year’s November general election July 22 during the National Urban League convention in Northwest. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
while the House approved it last year the Senate – which remains evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans – rejected it. Two other laws still remain under discussion: the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The House approved the two acts both of which died in January on the Senate floor due to a Republican filibuster, which stymied previous voting rights bills from passing. “Unfortunately, the Senate is a roadblock to that legislation,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), a longtime colleague and friend of Lewis, said in an interview Monday, Aug. 1. “Voting has been central to an individual’s ability to participate in democracy and having their voice heard . . . on policy and future actions that their country would take,” he said. “John Lewis knew that was central. He knew it was central to the dignity of an American. Without the vote, you were not a full American. You were a marginal American.”
‘ELECTIONS MATTER’ – ALL ELECTIONS
The Lewis act would reestablish the “preclearance” law for the
5 Former Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey, who won the Democratic nomination July 19 to represent the 4th Congressional District, speaks at a press conference June 30. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
Justice Department to review any voting changes made by states, especially those with history of racial discrimination. The Freedom act seeks to strengthen national standards for voting options and eliminate barriers against Black and Latino voters, undocumented citizens who pay taxes and those with disabilities. Glenn Ivey, who won the Democratic nomination to represent the 4th Congressional District with portions of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, said those two measures are necessary to protect voting rights for people of color. For instance, the GOP-controlled legislature in Texas approved voting measures last year including: requiring voters to show a driver’s license or write down the last four digits of their Social Security number on a ballot; ban distribution of unsolicited mail-in ballots; and poll watchers “may not be denied free movement where election activity is occurring ….” A decision has not been made in a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department last year against the state of Georgia for its newly-approved law that rejects civic groups and others to give food or water to voters waiting in line. “The John Sarbanes bill and
others are aimed at refurbishing the voting rights act and providing additional protections,” Ivey said. “But in the meantime, we’ve got to win these fights in the state legislatures and make sure that we block efforts to roll back the voting rights that we earned during the civil rights era and beyond. We have to fight this on all fronts and use every angle that we can.” Because of the current filibuster rules in the Senate, at least 10 Republicans must agree with the 50 Democrats to approve any voting measures. Vice President Kamala Harris, attending a National Urban League conference last month at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest, stressed voters need to elect “two” Democratic senators to ensure passage of the John Lewis and Freedom acts. “We can pass that federal legislation to deal with the fact that you’ve got these extremist, so-called-leaders in places like Georgia, Florida, Texas, who are intentionally trying to make it more difficult for people to vote so they don’t vote,” Harris said. “I would encourage all of the local leaders to remind people of why these elections matter because they do.” WI @WJFjabariwill
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