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House passes 1965 Voting Rights Act renewal over objections from Southern conservatives

Thursday, July 13, 2006

July 13, 2006 (WASHINGTON) -- As Southern lawmakers tell it, the House voted Thursday to punish their grandchildren for the racism of generations past when lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

"Congress is declaring from on high that states with voting problems 40 years ago can simply never be forgiven," said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., objecting to the law's federal oversight of his and other states with racist pasts.

"That Georgians must eternally wear the scarlet letter because of the actions of their grandparents and great-grandparents," he continued. "We have repented and we have reformed."

Not enough, countered proponents of the law, who voted 390-33 to renew it for 25 years. They also soundly rejected amendments by Westmoreland and others to relax the law's federal oversight of their states.

Those who voted "yes" pointed to a dozen House hearings that produced evidence that racist voting practices continue and will probably endure long after the act expires in 25 years.

"We should extend it beyond 100 years, because some of the problems will probably continue to exist that long," said Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.

All of the "no" votes came from Republicans like Westmoreland, in defiance of their own leaders.

"The liberties and freedom embedded in the right to vote must remain sacred," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said in a statement. "Principles like these cannot wait for discrimination to rear its ugly head."

Opponents of renewing the law contended that their states have ended racist voting practices.

"I sincerely hope the U.S. Senate corrects these problems so when the bill returns to the House for final passage I can vote for it," said Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., whose state is one of those under federal scrutiny.

The House overwhelmingly rejected amendments that would have shortened the renewal from 25 years to a decade and would have struck its requirement that ballots in some states be printed in several languages.

Supporters of the law as written called the amendments "poison pills" designed to kill the renewal because if any were adopted by the full House, the underlying renewal might have failed.

Supporters used stark images and emotional language to make clear that the pain of racial struggle -- and racist voting practices -- still stings.

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., displayed photos of civil rights activists, including himself, who were beaten by Alabama state troopers in 1965 as they marched from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights.

"I have a concussion. I almost died. I gave blood; some of my colleagues gave their very lives," Lewis shouted from the House floor, while the Rev. Jesse Jackson, another veteran of the civil rights movement, looked on from the gallery.

"Yes, we've made some progress; we have come a distance," Lewis added. "The sad truth is, discrimination still exists. That's why we still need the Voting Rights Act and we must not go back to the dark past."

The very debate over changes to the act is testament to the influence of Southern conservatives, even over their own GOP leaders who had hoped to pass the renewal as a fresh appeal for support from minorities on Election Day.

With rare bipartisan support among leaders of the House and Senate, the renewal was widely expected to sail through Congress and on to the White House for President Bush's signature.

Republican leaders, however, were forced to postpone a House vote last month when conservatives rebelled during a closed meeting.

Unable to satisfy the dissenters and eager to pass the bill this week, Republican leaders announced late Wednesday they would allow the House to consider amendments, none of which passed.

Most contentious was an amendment that would have stripped a requirement that districts with high populations of non-English-speaking voters print ballots in other languages.

"What unites us? It's our language, the English language," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. Without the amendment, the act is "hurting America by making it easier not to learn English."

The House rejected that amendment, 238-185.

Democrats made clear early in the day they would vote against the renewal if any of the amendments were added.

"Any one of them would be a weakening of the Voting Rights Act," said Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

The White House also weighed in during the debate, saying in a statement that the Bush administration "supports the intent" of the renewal. The statement did not take a position on the amendments proposed by lawmakers who represented the GOP's conservative base.

Their objections to the renewal already were being echoed by some Senate colleagues from the same states.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., noted that the act doesn't expire until next year.

"It's 13 months away and we're creating a political situation that doesn't need to be created," Coburn said in an interview. He said changes such as those proposed by the House amendments needed time for consideration.

Hastings called lawmakers who wanted to loosen the requirements in the law "ideological soul mates" of those who opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

"For them, this is not a debate about fairness; it is about ideology. Ideology has no place in today's debate," Hastings said. "We should do this not for the partisan benefit but because, as John Kennedy said, it is right."

The states identified in the bill as still in need of federal oversight are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. ------

The bill is HR-9.

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