Fairness in Voting

America has endured a long and painful history of voter disenfranchisement. There were times when minority citizens were forced to pay poll taxes before they could exercise the right to vote. Many died in the fight against discriminatory laws and practices to secure the right to participate in America’s democracy. I have also experienced the unjust practices of voter disenfranchisement during my youth under the Jim Crow laws in Texas.

In June of 2013, a five to four majority ruling by the United States Supreme weakened the Voting Rights Acts of 1965.

The ruling allowed states like Texas, with a long history of discriminatory voting practices, to reinstate practices, such as stricter voter identification laws that are designed specifically to dilute the number of minority and student voters. During the 2014 Texas State Republican Convention held in North Texas, a platform was released requesting that the Voting Rights Law be repealed in its entirety. The law, against which they have waged a war, is a historic piece of legislation signed into law by a Texan, former President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

The Voting Rights Law is recognized by fair-minded citizens as one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in our nation’s history, and we must not allow it to be further weakened or discarded. The Texas Legislature has yet to draw redistricting maps that give minorities a fair chance of electing minority representatives to Congress in areas where minority representation is clearly warranted.

That is why I am currently participating in litigation demanding that minority voters be treated fairly in Texas.

I am in full support of the proposed legislation written by Democratic Congressman John Conyers and Republican Representative James Sensenbrenner that would require certain states to seek approval from the Justice Department before making changing in its voting practices.

Under the proposed legislation, states that have had at least five irregularities in Voting Rights practices would be subject to federal clearance and oversight. Counties and cities where at least three violations occurred within a 15- year period would also have to seek federal clearance before making changes to their voting laws. This is to insure that those areas of the country with a history of voter disenfranchisement do not revert to discriminatory tactics aimed at marginalizing minority voters.

In addition to restricting existing voters, many states also restrict the voting rights of men and women who were convicted of a felony, but have repaid their debt to society. Eleven states still continue the practice of restricting voting rights of those who have served prison time.

Attorney General Eric Holder said earlier this year that the practice disenfranchises African-American citizens, and other racial minorities. When the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, its majority held that the oversight of voting practices in states was no longer necessary.

This is far from the truth. Perhaps, there will come a day when we no longer need the government to provide protections for racial minorities.

That day has not yet come. And until it comes, our government must ensure fairness and equality in voting for all of our citizens, and our citizens must be vigilant to fight to protect this constitutional right.