Constitutional Law

Civil Rights Group Works To Break Down Voting Barriers For Minorities

Hoping to eliminate voting barriers for minorities in the fall, a civil rights advocacy group is disseminating a voting rights act guide. The guide, “Tearing Down Obstacles to Democracy & Protecting Minority Voters,” highlights features of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and provides information about how the law can be used to overcome voting discrimination. Specifically the guide, created by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), focuses heavily on the Civil Rights Act’s “preclearance” provision, which allows voters to check voting changes that local officials try to implement before Election Day.

John Payton, LDF’s president and director-counsel, said in a statement that the guide is aimed at “providing citizens with the tools necessary to use the law as a shield on behalf of minority voters.”

As The New York Times noted in an Aug. 9 editorial, campaign and political parties too often resort to “dirty tricks” to suppress the vote, especially of “minorities, the poor, students and the elderly.”

For example, the editorial noted, that in 2004 the Ohio secretary of state “made so many anti-voter rulings – including an infamous one disqualifying registrations filed on less than 80-pound paper – that it seemed as if his goal was to keep turnout low.”

According to the LDF, its new guide will provide information for voters on how to ensure that any new voting rules implemented in their communities do not violate their civil rights. In its statement announcing the guide, LDF noted that the “period preceding major elections is often met by efforts to impair minority voting strength or depress minority voter participation rates which may result in an increase in the number of voting changes submitted for federal approval. The guide provides information on how individuals, community groups and advocates can use this key federal law to protect minority voters.” See the LDF guide here.

Because of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board upholding Indiana’s voter Identification law, more states are also contemplating similar laws that require voters to provide photo identification before casting a ballot. During the 2008 ACS National Convention, a panel of experts discussed the impact of such laws. Video of that panel, “Voter Participation: Examining the Impact of State Election Laws” is here.  

Full post as published by ACS Blog on August 18, 2008 (boomark / email).