The Democratic-led House of Representatives voted on Tuesday Human Resources 4 -Also known as the John R. Lewis Voting Promotion Act-fought a controversial battle in the Senate. If passed, among other things, the legislation will allow the Ministry of Justice to “Review changes in state election laws that have a history of discrimination.“
Democrats such as the House of Representatives Majority Whip James Clayburn (D-SC) insisted that the law was necessary to boycott the Supreme Court’s recent decisions, which weakened the 1965 Voting Rights Act and discouraged minorities The voting ability of ethnic communities also makes it easier for states to overturn election results.
“These undemocratic measures have disproportionately affected communities of color,” Clay said on Tuesday.
However, Chairman Ken Blackwell CNP action And the former Ohio Secretary of State disputed this sentiment on Tuesday before the vote.He said that HR 4 was nothing more than a power grab and an attempt by extremist parties to federalize the elections, which ultimately “resulted in federal control [and] Corruption of elections by party idealists in the Ministry of Justice. “
Blackwell at a press conference with other prominent African-American leaders such as Dean Nelson, Chairman of the Douglas Leadership Institute and Clarence E. Henderson, National Spokesperson of the Frederick Douglas Foundation The above stated that the legislation does not conform to the spirit of the United States. The radicalism of the same name “is an insult to the history of the civil rights movement in this country.”
“This is a direct affront to the transparency of the local and state electoral system,” Blackwell said, because it will allow the Department of Justice to sue states for laws that have been passed but not yet implemented; and will, According to USA Today, “Create new tests to challenge electoral laws that weaken the power of voters, such as redistricting electoral districts, or preventing voters from voting, such as in voter ID cases.”
In the latest legislation, if a state has violated 15 times in 25 years, the House of Representatives agrees to resume review of changes to the election law by the Department of Justice. The bill will also create a “practice-based” pre-approval category to give departmental oversight in the event of a change in jurisdiction (for example, a transition from a regional vote to a large election).
Blackwell, Dean, and Henderson claimed that the legislation was “looking for a solution to the problem” because it involved it providing a hypothetical solution to the deprivation of rights of minorities in the ballot box.
“The election is setting a record for minority and racial groups’ turnout,” Blackwell said, noting that compared with 2016, the number of African American and Hispanic voters has increased in 2020.
“From a favorable perspective, there is no real evidence that blacks are discriminated against at the ballot box,” Dean said. “The left has been trying to intimidate, especially African American voters in the southern states.”
“[The left’s language is intended] Raises even greater concerns among minorities about possible deprivation of voting rights [and H.R. 4] It ended up giving… more control than the Department of Justice really needed,” Dean said.
The battle in the Senate may lead to new debates on the abolition of the obstruction bill. The obstruction bill to prevent legislation requires 60 votes to pass, and the almost even partisanship in the Senate makes this a difficult one.
“If 10 Senate Republicans do not support this bill, then Senate Democrats must reform the obstruction bill,” Sylvia Albert, director of common cause voting and elections, told USA Today. “The freedom of voting for every American must be protected.”
But for Henderson, this issue is far more personal than the procedural struggle in the Congress Chamber.
“First you don’t let us vote, then you tell us how to vote, and now you want to restrict our voting rights,” Henderson said on Tuesday.
