So, what lies beneath all the tension, worry, and recent hubub, you might ask.
It really all comes down to two particular sections of the act, which are indeed up for renewal in 2007.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, Section 5
This section, in short, enforces a system of checks and balances - it requires that a specific set of state and local governments acquire approval from the federal government before making changes to voting procedures (e.g. re-drawing district lines and changing poll locations).The goal? To ensure that changes do not make it more difficult for non-Whites to vote or have their vote be counted.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, Section 203
This section ensures that bilingual resources are available in a specific group of states for speakers of other languages (those predominantly spoken within those regions).The goal? To ensure that all citizens can understand voting procedures, and therefore, be able to participate - thereby exercising their right to vote.
The Real Concerns
In the absence of complete renewal of the Voting Rights Act as it now stands, the real fears come down to these:- Events similar to those that took place in Florida during the last presidential election would be much more common, and that discrimination would be much more possible and therefore, rampant throughout the voting process
- Any progress that has been made over the years, in terms of voting rights, would be quickly reversed
- The number of non-Whites able and empowered to participate would seriously decline
- Districts would be redrawn for the purpose of minimizing the power and impact of the non-White vote
In January, President Bush announced that he was not familiar enough with the Voting Rights Act to comment on it. This quickly sent some Americans into a tailspin and did much to fuel worries that in this "conservative" environment, the threat of change and a regression are very real.
The outcome, of course, as of yet, remains to be seen.
Two additional articles on this subject can be found on www.Diversityinc.com and are listed below. Please note that although access requires membership, they do offer a free 7-day membership, which you can use to access and other related articles.
link #1: Why Blacks are Very Worried About the Voting Rights Act
link #2: Urban Legend: Will People of Color Lose the Right to Vote in 2007?