The Independent View: Voting Rights Act Turns 50

I Photoshopped from August 2, 2015 New York Times Magazine Cover
I turned 21 the day before the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was signed, August 6, 1965. Three months later, I started my Air Force journey, voting militarily as a New York absentee voter from Texas, California, and New Jersey. Returning to civil life, voting as a citizen of New York, Seattle Washington, and now New York City. I have always voted as an independent.

CLICK HERE to read Jim Rutenberg's "A Dream Undone". His article describes the 50 year campaign to roll back the Voting Rights Act.

In its 5-4 decision in June 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the Voting Rights Act (VRA)'s decades-old coverage formula, which had required certain states to get federal approval before changing election rules. The law had applied on a blanket basis to nine states, most of them in the South, with documented histories of racial discrimination.

But congress has been unable to create a new formula, so today citizens have to go to court to challenge voter suppression schemes, like voter id, racial and minority defined gerrymandering, and poll site manipulations.

New legislation, titled "The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015," would force any state that has had 15 or more voting rights violations in the last 25 years to be subject to federal preclearance for any change in voting procedure or law.

That criterion would initially subject 13 states to preclearance: New York, California, Arkansas, Arizona, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

States put on preclearance would be able to free themselves by going 10 consecutive years without a voting rights violation.

I thing my solution is better.

I would add the preclearance test to the Census. Every ten years, all states would be put on preclearance. They would then have 90-120 days to report their last 10 years of voting records to the Justice Department for review. Those that past would be bailed-out. This would be done before the states issued the redistricting plans.