Section 5 of The Voting Rights Act has become the most controversial topic in the news over the past week. And with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia making unflattering comments like, I think it is attributable, very likely attributable, to a phenomenon that is called perpetuation of racial entitlement…, it puts more of a spotlight on the number one issue now facing the Supreme Court – the survivability of Section 5
Under Section 5 of the Voting Act, nine Southern states (and a few other counties) must get the advance approval from the Department of Justice in Washington for any state electoral changes they want to implement. This process, known as pre-clearance, covers everything from drawing the lines of legislative districts to deciding the location of polling places.
However, Justice Scalia thinks this very important measure amounts to Racial…Entitlement! A chance to vote… a chance which is the right of EVERY America citizens, is being considered Racial Entitlement. The comment clearly offended Justice Sonia Sotomayor. “Do you think that the right to vote is a racial entitlement in Section 5?… Do you think Section 5 was voted for because it was a racial entitlement?” she said later, seeming to call out Scalia.
Why should the fundamental right to vote, a right that was fought for and signed into law in 1965, a right that was spurred by Civil Rights Leaders, Organizers, Laymen, Preachers, Mothers and Fathers, Blacks and Whites… why is this still a topic for debate? It is so nonsensical that in 2013, the very foundation of the Voting Rights Act could possibly be overturned. And why would anyone consider overturning this important law considering what some of the GOP surrogates attempted in the election of 2012?
There were multiple reports and evidence of voter obstruction in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida just to name a few, where Republican governors concentrated on voter disruptions, from attempting to introduce late legislation to having voters produce picture I.D.’s to actually closing polling stations early, denying hundreds of thousands of voters an opportunity to perform there God given and Constitutional right to Vote. Those multiple disruptive behaviors alone to the voting process should be enough to keep Section 5 on the Books.
But make no mistake, this is a calculated and premeditated act of the Republican Party. Ever since President Obama was elected as President in term #1, Mitch McConnell had the audacity to state in a news conference that the main objective of his party was to “make sure this President was a one-term President.” That didn’t work out for them although they tried to block all of the President’s policies or support him in any domestic affairs that would be beneficial for the American people.
So now, after President Obama’s re-election, the scam is on. If they, the GOP and the big money bags, can’t beat him, they will attempt to swing momentum in their favor. How you asked? By changing (or stealing) the vote. By trying to eliminate Section. By cancelling out Section 5 of the Voter Rights Act. And now it appears the Republicans have found favor in a Justice on the Highest Court in the land, the Supreme Court.
So, how could a Supreme Court Justice miss this? Does he not look at the news? Does he not have access to a paper or computer with the internet? Is it just blind ignorance? I’m not sure what Scalia is thinking but I know how the majority of Americans feel.
Just ask Sen. John Lewis who was a part of the original marches with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., demanding voting and civil rights for all Americans. We can also solicit feedback from Minorities, Democrats and those survivors of the Civil Rights Movement who fought to have this law passed.
Outraged! Less we forget the hundreds of thousands who were beaten, maimed, imprisoned and even killed just to perform this most important act of democracy. And to have individuals attempt to take it away is completely atrocious and un-patriotic.
A Great Big Thank You to all who paved the way for me and my family to exercise our right to vote. And Thank You to all who continue to Fight the Good Fight. This is the right of All Americans. And now we Have to take a Stand, America! Contact your Congressman and tell them, “Continue to Fight For ME so I can Vote”! Get Active, Get Busy, Get Serious America! It’s a matter of Democracy, Freedom and Justice For ALL!
