Friday, December 6, 2019

Passage of Historic House Voting Rights Law


The House on Friday Passed Legislation to Restore a Provision of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. The Bill would require Advance Approval of Voting Changes in States with a History of Discrimination.

The Voting Rights Advancement Act Passed the House 228-187, with all Democrats Voting for the Bill and All but One Republican, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1st District), Voting Against it.

The Bill faces Virtually No chance of being Considered in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The Legislation would Reverse the Supreme Court's 2013 Ruling that Eliminated the "Preclearance" Requirement. This was the Mandate that Changes in Voting Systems and Procedures in Areas with a History of Voting Discrimination be Approved in Advance by the Federal Courts or the Justice Department.

The Supreme Court Ruled 5-4 that the Evidence being used to Decide which Areas were Covered by "Preclearance" was Significantly Out-of-Date, and therefore Unconstitutional and No Longer Valid. The Court expected Congress would Update the Selection Rules, but the Congress hasn't yet Updated them, until now.

H.R.4 - Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019

The New Legislation says a State would be Subject to Preclearance if there were 15 or More Voting Rights Violations in the last 25 years or 10 or More Voting Rights Violations in the last Quarter Century when One of those was Committed by the State itself.

Under this Formula, 11 States including the Four most Populous: California, Florida, New York, and Texas, plus Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, would be subject to Preclearance.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker


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