If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
WASHINGTON -- The Advancement Project has posted a behind-the-scenes video featuring Desiline Victor, the 102-year-old Miami voter whose story of wait...
With the Supreme Court poised to hear a conservative-led attack on the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act, you would think the Heritage Foundations' Hans von Spakovsky would be on the top of the world. Instead, he's increasingly becoming a real embarrassment to the right's efforts.
This month, The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Shelby County v. Holder, a case that challenges the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
To worry about federalism -- as important as federalism is -- would be a red herring. To dismiss the bipartisan consensus would amount to mocking the deliberative character of the legislative process.
One line, in particular, haunted me from the New York Times piece: "Chief Justice Roberts seemed skeptical about the continued need for Section 5. 'Things have changed in the South,' he said."
Just as those black and white photos of Rosa Parks could not capture the continuing fight she waged in her community, the Times picture and interview fail to communicate how much Gray has done for voting rights.
Desilene Victor's determination to vote was applauded last Tuesday by the joint session of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike. With her story, and with his commission, the president has summoned us to our shared obligation to protect the right to vote.
Desiline Victor's story and others like it make a powerful case for congressional action to retain and strengthen the EAC and should drive the work of state legislators and the president's new commission as well.
President Obama has now used his election night victory, Inauguration, and State of the Union address to highlight the injustice of long voting lines and voter suppression in America. The question is now what?
When President Obama paid tribute to Desiline Victor, the 102-year-old African-American woman who was forced to wait hours to cast her ballot last November, he was highlighting not only the Florida Republican Party's voter suppression efforts but the tortured history of race relations in America.
Even as our nation's first black president prepares to give his State of the Union Address, there is still significant work to be done on several fronts to achieve the equality that our founders envisioned.
As the League celebrates our 93rd birthday and marks nearly a century of work on voting rights, we hope that the Supreme Court recognizes the importance of blocking racial discrimination in voting and upholds the Voting Rights Act.
Even though the presidential election is over, Democrats across the country, including President Obama, are not forgetting that many American voters had to stand on long lines and wait to cast their votes. Thousands gave up voting and left before casting ballots.
Republicans fail to see that gimmickry and exclusionary tactics are not the solution to their demographic problems. Instead, Republicans would do well to consider why the fact remains that when more people can vote and more people do vote, Democrats win.
The struggle continues, but to really appreciate the dedication of those of old, we must continue the struggle. We never would have made it without Rosa Parks and we will not make it without you.
Unlike utilizing partisan gerrymandered maps or an entirely mismatched way of allocating votes depending on the state, a national popular vote system makes some sense. It's time for a national conversation about fairness and transparency in the way we elect our president.
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