Reply #9: Voting Rights Act Gets ACLU Push to Renew [View All]

Voting Rights Act Gets ACLU Push to Renew

By WILL LESTER

The Associated Press

Tuesday, March 7, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The Voting Rights Act would be severely weakened if provisions such as federal clearance of some local election changes and protections for voters who do not speak English are not renewed, activists say.

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Some conservative lawmakers have voiced opposition to renewing the clearance provision of the Voting Rights Act.

That provision requires local officials in nine states to get any changes to voting practices or procedures cleared beforehand by federal officials to ensure that local officials do not try to discriminate against minorities.

Those nine states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia and Texas, said Daniel Levitas, who is with the ACLU Voting Rights project. Parts of seven other states are affected _ California, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and South Dakota, he said.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/07/AR2006030701557.html