Lawmakers, activists push to renew Voting Rights Act early

The federal Voting Rights Act doesn't expire until next year, but the House leadership and civil rights activists are anxious to renew it now.

"You don't wait to change the oil in your car until the oil tank is empty," said Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee on Civil Rights. "Let's not wait until the oil tank is empty. Let's vote now."

She and other civil rights leaders participated in a teleconference Thursday to talk about the need to renew provisions in the VRA, which expires in 2007. This act completes the 15th Amendment, guaranteeing that no person would be denied the right to vote on account of race or color.

Civil rights groups are relieved by the defeat Wednesday of Rep. Cliff Stearns' bill that would have absolved the Bilingual Election Assistance Provision contained in the VRA, requiring states to provide election information in English.

"I believe that we should promote the use of English in conducting official government business," said Stearns, R-Fla. "If individuals are not nudged by the circumstances of daily living — including voting — to get out and master the basics of the English language, then they are denied all the rich opportunities that life in this great nation offers up."

Civil rights groups disagree.

"The Voting Rights Act makes democracy a reality," said John Trasvina, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund interim president and general counsel. "We're pleased to see the House come together and vote down the Stearns Amendment."

The House was set to vote on the renewal June 19, but strong opposition from south states derailed the vote. The southern states are uncomfortable with the renewal because of a provision that requires certain states with a history of discrimination to get clearance from the Justice Department or a federal court before they make election changes.

"If Section 5 and the other provisions that expire in 2007 are not renewed, we would see the clock roll back by decades of progress," said Ted Shaw, NAACP Legal Defense Fund president.

House leadership is trying to take care of business early, yet it may have been too early for this issue, said Scott Parker, spokesman for Utah Republican Congressman Rob Bishop.

There were some changes that may not have been quite ready, and the renewal did not have enough support. One of the changes was updating the formulas used by states or localities that would be affected by the VRA. This includes using the annual American Community Survey and not the U.S. Census conducted every 10 years.

In Utah, the NAACP has been busy over the past week urging its members to call and e-mail lawmakers.

"Not only for Utah, but for the country as a whole, is what we are fighting for," said Jeanetta Williams, NAACP Salt Lake Branch president. "One's right to vote should not have strings tied to it."

---

E-mail: blee@desnews.com