Research VRA
Hi.
I’m in NYC right now and my aunt has me doing this intership at a college. She’s having me research the VRA or Voting Rights Act (of 1965). I’m glad that I’m researching instead of answearing phones because I’m much better with the computer that with the phone.
So what is the Voting Rights Act and why am I’m researching it?
The Voting Right Act is one of the most effective and life changing act ever wrtten and enacted. It is a more or less 100-year-overdue follow up on the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendements in the Constitution. These amendments were basically set in place to free, grant citiizenship and give voting rights to African Americans. Being black myself I value these amends and this Act a lot.
Though it looked good on paper, the 15th amendment (which gave all races the right vote) was ineffective, especially after the end of reconstuction. Racist whites, partically ones in the South employed many ways to discourage and weaken the black voter.
There were the obvious ploys used by the KKK. Burning crosses on African American lawns, lynching and terrorism, were all ways the KKK discourage blacks from going ot the polls.
However there were many other tactics the law maker employ to stop black voting.
Poll taxes, prevented poor blacks from voting. College level literacy test prevented blacks from voting as well. If a nigger was smart enough to get pass that test and rich enough to get pass the tax they would ask a back-up question. A famous question being “how many bubbles in a bar of soap?”
The last line of defense was “gerry-mandering” This meant counties and districts would be divided in such a way that black counties, would be hacked up, reacttached, and merged into white counties and thus no long in control.
The VRA made to put a stop to that. As you can see if you go to this url.
http://www.usdoj.gov.crt/voting/intro/intro_c.html
The VRA has helped level the voting field and produce a more representive and diverse political scene.
However one must keep in mind that the VRA has been extended more than once. The VRA also focuses more on Southern states and less on states like Utah, Ohio, and other midwest states, easter and northern states.
So why the debate?
President Bush on July 27, 2006 has signed a renewel of this bill extending it to 2032, an extra 25 years in honor of Ms. Scott King and Ms. Parks who have passed away recently. Most organizations like the ACLU and hte NAACP are much in favor.
But Southern states are not so joyous.
Many complain that the VRA in prejudice against Southern states and unfairly singals them out for past racist practices.
On another note, bilingual groups want to expand the bill to help combat voting dicrimination they face.
Furthermore other say that Bush is sort of “putting on a front.” They think that he is only signing the bill to prove that (or at least look like) he’s not a racist, especially after his appointment of two conservative judges.
Again, like always Civil Rights issues, it’s a mess. I’m still reseaching and hoping to develope a refined opinion.