If you’re looking for an overview of the voting rights bill, you’ve come to the right place. This article covers the basics of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, from how it affects minorities to its impact on states. Then, learn more about this law from the following resources. Below, we’ll outline Bill’s key points and their effects on you and your community. And, as always, we’ll keep things relevant to your community in mind.
John Lewis Voting Rights Act
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 seeks to reinstate parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The Act was part of the landmark civil rights case Shelby County v. Holder, and it is a necessary step in ending discrimination against minorities. It is now up to Congress to implement it. To get started, read this guide. It will walk you through the process of restoring parts of the voting rights bill.
The John Lewis Act will prevent new voter suppression laws after the 2020 election and prevent similar laws from passing in the future without Justice Department preclearance. That’s great news, but if a Republican government takes over in the future, it’s unlikely the Act will be passed. Moreover, even if the Act passes in Congress, future GOP administrations may reverse its pro-voting rights guidance. Nevertheless, this legislation has the potential to slow down the number of voter suppression efforts, and it’s likely to pass without a filibuster.
Key points
The new federal legislation, known as the Voting Rights Restoration Act (VRRA), restores voting rights for felons and formerly incarcerated citizens. The law also establishes a bright-line standard for state voting laws and eliminates a few relics of Jim Crow. While there are some thorny issues in the bill, it’s important to note that its many positive points will improve voting in the United States.
It will restore the Justice Department’s ability to preclear election laws changes. That mechanism was abolished in Shelby County v Holder. If upheld, the law will no longer have an effect. Moreover, the new law requires states with a history of voting discrimination to preclear election laws, which is impossible today.
Impact on minorities
The voting rights bill passed by Congress in 1965 was a significant achievement. Its passage reduced the wage gap between Blacks and whites and was an essential step toward achieving the goals of the American Dream. However, some state legislatures have considered reducing these protections, and Congress debates the issue of new voting rights laws. According to a recent study from the Rady School of Management, the 1965 Voting Rights Act significantly improved Black families’ economic status. On the other hand, the Supreme Court’s decision in 2013 led to economic disenfranchisement for these families.
In the South, many activists for voting rights faced violent opposition. Many were arrested and beaten by local law enforcement. In addition, the Ku Klux Klan systematically burned and bombed homes and businesses in the same month, which fueled a further backlash against the voting rights campaign. But, the movement was not defeated, and there were still protests. In 1963 and 1964, in Selma, Alabama, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, hundreds of people lined up to show their determination to vote. Despite the attacks and threats, they marched to Montgomery.
Impact on states
How the Voting Rights Act will affect states, you can look at voter turnout by state. Ang (2019) analyzed voter turnout in newly covered and noncovered counties after the 1975 amendment. Section 5 increased voter turnout in 1976 and 1980.
Unfortunately, the Senate was divided over whether to pass the legislation. While all 50 Democrats voted in favor of the measure, all 50 Republicans voted against it. As a result, the Democrats could not break the filibuster, and their leaders accused them of manufacturing a crisis. On top of that, Democrats claimed the new voting laws would exacerbate the already strained situation in the South, threatening the Senate’s unique status. As a result, two of the three Black senators clashed over the Democrats’ charge that their opposition was a throwback to Jim Crow.
Impact on democrats
The vote on the voting rights bill has become increasingly important with President Obama’s recent endorsement of a filibuster-free Senate. Democrats have been grappling with the 50-50 Senate majority complicating efforts to pass domestic policy priorities. President Obama appeared on Capitol Hill on Thursday to lobby for an end to the filibuster, a parliamentary rule that requires 60 votes to advance a bill. While he said that the vote on the voting rights bill could fail, he acknowledged that it was not the end of the world.
Among the many provisions in the bill was the ability to require voters to present photo identification to vote. This would have made the process more transparent and less costly. It would have also mandated a paper trail of every ballot and cybersecurity standards for voting machines. The bill would also have amended the 1887 law that lays out the complicated process for counting votes in the Electoral College. However, the Senate version of the bill did not mention a change to that law.
