U.S. Sen. Rob Portman said today that Congress should review the entire Voting Rights Act to evaluate how it is working. But he added that he doesn’t know if parts of it need to be strengthened. This comes after the Ohio Republican was criticized by Democrats for demurring last weekend on whether he supports a House bill to deal with a key section of the act that the Supreme Court struck down in 2013. Portman was asked about new legislation, which civil rights leaders say is necessary, while he was in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights struggle that helped pass the act. His answer upset some liberal groups and Democrats. He said in Selma, “I haven’t looked at it. Is there a Senate version?”
That answer came during the commemoration of Bloody Sunday, a day in 1965 when Alabama troopers attacked civil rights marchers. Portman added while in Selma, “This day is about more than just tweaks to the Voting Rights Act. This is about ensuring equal justice and learning from the lessons of the past.”
The Voting Rights Act section in question relates to something called preclearance, or a requirement for states and cities with a history of racial discrimination to get federal permission before they could change their voting rules. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 ruled 5-4 that the requirement was unconstitutional, saying that since the 1965 act passed, “Our country has changed.”
Full Article: Rob Portman says Voting Rights Act should get congressional review | cleveland.com.