U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks) Holds a Hearing On Renewing the Temporary Provisions of the Voting Rights Act
Political Transcript Wire › August 11, 2009
Linked as:
Extract
U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks) Holds a Hearing On Renewing the Temporary Provisions of the Voting Rights Act
U.S. SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND PROPERTY RIGHTS HOLDS A HEARING ON RENEWING THE TEMPORARY PROVISIONS OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT
JULY 13, 2006SPEAKERS: U.S. SENATOR SAM BROWNBACK (R-KS) CHAIRMAN U.S. SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA) U.S. SENATOR LINDSEY O. GRAHAM (R-SC) U.S. SENATOR JOHN CORNYN (R-TX) U.S. SENATOR TOM COBURN (R-OK)U.S. SENATOR RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD (D-WI) RANKING MEMBER U.S. SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY (D-MA) U.S. SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA) U.S. SENATOR RICHARD J. DURBIN (D-IL) U.S. SENATOR PATRICK J. LEAHY (D-VT) EX OFFICIOWITNESSES: MICHAEL CARVIN, PARTNER, JONES DAYABIGAIL THERNSTROM, VICE CHAIRMAN, U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTSROGER CLEGG, PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL, CENTER FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITYJOAQUIN AVILA, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF LAW, SEATTLE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAWNINA PERALES, REGIONAL COUNSEL, MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUNDSHERRILYN IFILL, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND LAW SCHOOL[*] KENNEDY: We'll come to order. Our chairman, Cornyn, is expected here momentarily. And then there's going to be some votes that are coming up, so the chairman will have to deal with that.But we'll get started. And I'd ask consent that my comments appear after the chair. And I also have a statement by the senator from Vermont, Senator Leahy, and that that be made a part of the record.I hope that today will conclude our hearings on the reauthorizations of the Voting Rights Act. We have built a strong record justifying the renewal of the act's key expiring provisions, Section 5, Section 203 and the federal observer provisions.Voting this bill out of the committee and moving it to the floor for consideration by the full Senate is essential. The importance of the act to minority voters and to our nation's promise of democracy demands action. And I'm hopeful that the full Senate can pass this bill before the August recess, in time for the 41st anniversary of the signing of the act, which we'll celebrate on August 6.The Supreme Court's decision in LULAC v. Perry, that the Texas congressional redistricting plan discriminated against Latino voters in violation of Section 2 of the act, is strong evidence in favor of reauthorization.The court found current discrimination against minority voters in the jurisdiction covered in its entirety under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The decision is a vindication of minority voting rights and another indication that voting discrimination persists today in some parts of the country, including at the state level.The court made several significant findings. It found that polarized voting exists throughout the state. Anglo voters in Texas generally vote for different candidates from minority voters. We know that redistricting boundaries and election rules in such cases have been used to undermine the voting rights of minorities. And Section 5 provides a needed remedy for such practices.The court also found that the state has a long, well-documented history of discrimination against Hispanics and African-Americans in voter registration, voting and otherwise participating in electoral process.The 2003 redistricting in Texas was another chapter in that history. The state shifted 100,000 Latino voters from a district, where they were on the verge of electing a candidate of their choice, to another district in which Latinos already controlled election outcomes.As Justice Kennedy stated, "In essence,...See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
