Until Congress is able to come up with new voting rights rules, states could give some of their most controversial voting laws a second life. The U.S. Senate today is discussing the Supreme Court’s decision to throw out a section of the Voting Rights Act. That section established a formula that determined which counties nationwide would be required to clear voting laws with the federal government before implementing them. Five counties in Florida fell under that part of the civil rights-era law. However, Congress is only beginning to discuss a possible replacement of the section. Today’s Senate hearing, according to MSNBC, “will feature testimony from VRA backers in the House and some prominent VRA opponents.”
In the meantime, however, the Supreme Court decision from this summer has already prompted states such as Texas to take up its controversial voter ID law, which was halted under the former section of Voting Rights Act.
Florida is considering resurrecting one of its own controversial voting practices: last year’s voter purge.
Full Article: Voting Rights Decision Could Mean Return of Florida’s Voter Purge | Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.