Difference between revisions of "Voting Rights Act of 1965"
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Although the Act is over 40 years old and addresses issues from the early 1960s and before, in 2006 Congress passed a 25-year extension without meaningful debate. 33 House members opposed the 25-year extension, primarily because of the imposition of multilingual balloting. Not a single senator, however, voted against it, and President [[George W. Bush]] signed it into law. | Although the Act is over 40 years old and addresses issues from the early 1960s and before, in 2006 Congress passed a 25-year extension without meaningful debate. 33 House members opposed the 25-year extension, primarily because of the imposition of multilingual balloting. Not a single senator, however, voted against it, and President [[George W. Bush]] signed it into law. | ||
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| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Southern Manifesto]] | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 21:03, May 21, 2007
The National Voting Rights Act of 1965[1] authorized, and in some areas required, federal oversight of elections. Many of these areas were in the South. Frequently amended, it imposes a complex system of regulations that include forcing local governments to print multilingual ballots at their own expense, in many different foreign languages. It requires federal registration of voters in regions where less than 50% of minorities are registered.
Politics
The Act was passed by the U.S. Congress over strong Democratic party opposition; President Lyndon Johnson turned to Minority Leader Everett Dirksen for Republican support [2] to break the Democratic filibuster. Dirksen spoke on the Senate floor,
| “ | The time has come for equality of opportunity in sharing of government, in education, and in employment. It must not be stayed or denied. It is here! | ” |
The Senate never had been able to muster enough votes to cut off a filibuster on a Civil Rights Bill. The final count showed 44 Democrats and 27 Republicans voting to close off debate, with 23 Democrats and only 6 Republicans opposed. The formal Senate vote on the bill took place on June 19, 1964. It passed overwhelmingly, 73-27. Majority Leader Mike Mansfield said of the Republican leader, "The whole country is in debt to the Senator from Illinois."
The Act gives the Department of Justice the power to approve or reject any change in a voting law in certain districts where less than 50% of the population were registered to vote in 1964. The Act also outlawed literacy tests that once limited the right to vote in some areas to those who could read the ballot, as well as so-called "Grandfather Clauses".
Renewal
Although the Act is over 40 years old and addresses issues from the early 1960s and before, in 2006 Congress passed a 25-year extension without meaningful debate. 33 House members opposed the 25-year extension, primarily because of the imposition of multilingual balloting. Not a single senator, however, voted against it, and President George W. Bush signed it into law.
See also
References
- ↑ 42 U.S.C. § 1973-1973aa-6
- ↑ Everett McKinley Dirksen's Finest Hour: June 10, 1964, The Peoria Journal Star, June 10, 2004, retrieved from The Dirksen Congressional center 05/20/07.