Several states – all with Republican majorities in the state legislature – having been fighting to have portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 declared unconstitutional. Now, an Alabama county is asking a federal appeals court in Washington to strike down a judge’s September ruling that upheld the Act’s constitutionality, the Blog of Legal Times reports.
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, known as the “preclearance” section, requires some states and localities to get permission from the Justice Department before changing laws relating to elections. The provision applies mostly to locations in the South, where discrimination historically prevented many groups from voting.
The Act has been renewed by Congress four times. In 2006, some Republicans objected to renewing the preclearance section saying it was an overreach of the federal government and didn’t apply to areas that have abandoned the discriminatory rules that brought about the Act in the first place.
Full Article: Alabama County Continues Fight Over Voting Rights Act – Law Blog – WSJ.