Bruce’s Beat

The Voting Rights Act has worked so well for minorities in Georgia, a couple of Republicans from that state disingenuously proclaimed, that they introduced amendments to extend its provisions nationwide to every jurisdiction with substantial numbers of blacks, Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics. They knew that with no documented history of disenfranchisement openly and admittedly undertaken in the name of white supremacy, such as exists for Georgia, Mississippi and other places covered by the pre-clearance provisions of the VRA, it wouldn’t be long before the current right wing crop of judges ruled most or all of the VRA invalid. Another killer amendment would have banned or restricted the provision of voting materials in languages other than English, and still another revealed the white supremacist wolf beneath the sheep’s clothing by howling for the end of the VRA’s pre-clearance provisions everywhere.

Still, if the congressman of either party from your district voted for the VRA intact, and voted against the poison pill amendments, we recommend that BC readers call and congratulate him or her on their wisdom and common sense. Black America dodged a bullet aimed at our ability to exercise our vote without fear or fraud early this month in the House of Representatives, and we must do the same in the Senate and conference committee. The Voting Rights Act in its present form is irreplaceable. Now is the time to contact both senators from your state, of whichever party and urge them to pass it intact and without crippling amendments as the House did. The VRA must pass the Senate, and a conference committee before proceeding to George Bush in the White House for his signature.