Supreme Court Decision Reopens Door for Restrictive Voting Lavvs
By Zenitha Prince Guest Columnist
One predicted consequence the Supreme Court ' s invalidation of a central portion of the Voting Rights Act last month week is already manifesting . Voting rights activists had warned that the high court ' s decision could result in the reintroduction and reenactment of previously blocked restrictive voting laws . On June 27 , the Supreme Court threw out lower court rulings which barred a Texas voter ID law and a redistricting plan as discriminatory .
The justices ordered the lower courts to reexamine the case in light of their June 25 decision , which effectively gutted the provision of the Voting Rights Act that requires jurisdictions with a history of discrimination against minority voters , such as Texas , to obtain federal preapproval before making any changes to the election laws . Five out of nine justices said Congress needs to recalibrate the formula used to determine eligible jurisdictions to match the evidence of racial progress . Many activists and political observers doubt , however , whether this deeply divided Congress would have the political will to get it done . And , in the meantime , critics say , American democracy is being eroded .
At least 180 restrictive bills , which would make it harder to vote , were introduced since the beginning of 2011 in 41 states , the Brennan Center for Justice said in a report . Voting rights advocates fought back and many measures were impeded by citizen referendums , court rulings or by the Department of Justice . But now the Supreme Court ' s decision handicaps such efforts and reopens the door to vote-stifling measures .
The Supreme Court decision " is a setback to our democracy and the voting rights of real Americans ," Wade Henderson , president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights , said in a June 27 statement . " We can ' t allow discrimination at the ballot box and must prevent minorities from having their votes purged , packed , gerrymandered , and redistricted away . No one should be fooled by the Pollyannaish fantasy that voting discrimination no longer exists ... . We urge Congress to act with urgency and on a bipartisan basis to protect voting rights for minorities ."
League of Women Voters of Florida End Threats to Voting Rights Cynthia Slater , Adora Obi Nweze Jacksonville , Florida August 2013
" While the Supreme Court decision has sidelined the Voting Rights Act , the fight is not over and the game is still on ," stated NAACP Florida State Conference President Adora Obi Nweze after participating in a media teleconference called by the Florida State Conference of the NAACP to discuss the impact U . S . Supreme Court ' s decision to invalidate Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act .
" Florida units are mobilized to encourage our local , state , and national elected leaders to put politics aside and develop a new formula , as suggested by the Supreme Court Ruling , that protects the vote for all citizens . The Supreme Court of the United States , as Justice Ruth Ginsburg stated , ' erred egregiously .' "
Five counties affected
Cynthia Slater
Adora Obi Hweze
Cynthia Slater , President of Volusia County NAACP describes the Supreme Court ' s decision is a heart-piercing and one which will have negative ramifications on voters . " As you may know , Florida is certainly affected because five counties are subjected to section 5 of the Voting Rights Act ," Slater explained .
Under the provision that the court struck down , nine states and the city councils and local governments within them were required to obtain advance approval from Washington before changing their rules on voting and elections , a process known as " pre-clearance ." In Florida , affected counties were Hillsborough , Monroe , Collier , Hardee and Hendry .