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Final Push for Voting Rights Act Passage: Act Now |
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The Senate is expected to vote as early as tomorrow on whether to renew the Voting Rights Act (VRA) as religious groups, civil rights organizations, unions and their allies are flooding Capitol Hill with calls urging senators to pass this vital bill.
The phone lines to several Capitol Hill Senate offices were jammed today as activists made a big push to get their lawmakers to pass S. 2703, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, without amendments.
To ensure the bill is passed, the AFL-CIO is urging union members to call their senators today at 1-866-808-0065 and tell them to pass this critical bipartisan legislation before Congress shuts down for their August break.
The House voted to reauthorize several key sections of the law by a strong 390–33 margin July 13. The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings today on the bill and Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he intends to send the bill to the floor as soon as the committee approves it.
Passage of the measure would renew for 25 years key sections of the law, including those requiring language assistance and giving the federal government authority to review changes in voting rules in states with a history of discrimination.
June Cotton, a retired state worker from Michigan, says the VRA is needed now more than ever:
I’m old. So I’ve seen the need for renewal each time. It’s more important now than ever with this administration determined to turn the clock back.
Cotton is among 2,000 delegates to the NAACP convention meeting in Washington, D.C., who lobbied on Capitol Hill today in support of the VRA.
Several religious groups, including the United Methodist Church, along with the nation’s Catholic bishops and several leading Jewish organizations, all added their voices to the chorus calling for passage of the bill.
Opponents had been expected to submit as many as 18 amendments designed to cripple the bill, but late today, no amendments had been introduced. But it is not yet a done deal.
In a letter to senators today, AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuels writes:
The VRA has enfranchised millions of citizens by restricting the use of discriminatory practices and removing other barriers to political participation, but there is significant evidence that barriers to minority voter participation persist.
We urge you to reject any amendments and to support final passage.
According to the Congressional Quarterly, Senate Republicans also are under pressure from the White House to pass the legislation quickly:
Adding to the newfound sense of urgency are President Bush’s scheduled Thursday appearance at the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Washington—the first such appearance of Bush’s presidency—and broader concerns that GOP foot-dragging on voting rights and a tough position on immigration legislation have alienated minority voters in an election year.
Texas Republican John Cornyn…pointed to the political realities facing Republicans on the issue. ”Everyone recognizes the inevitability of passage of the extension and sees no benefit to delaying it,” Cornyn said. “In fact, there’s some benefit for doing it so it doesn’t become a weapon during the election campaigns.”
That represents a big shift for Cornyn, who previously had urged a go-slow approach. Cornyn said Tuesday night he now plans to introduce no amendments during committee or floor consideration.
But Ward Pettaway, a member of UAW Local 723 from Toledo, Ohio, says he’s not going to assume anything until the Senate passes the bill and Bush signs it. That’s why he’s making VRA the top priority when he joins the NAACP members to lobby lawmakers today:
This is very important not just to black folks, but to everybody. This is the great equalizer—in the voting booth, everyone is equal and we have to keep that way if we want to keep our democracy.
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