Overturning the Voting Rights Act - Research Paper Example

The number of people disallowed to cast their vote due to state-imposed rules is increasing steadily every year due to the new laws enforced by the state governments.High debates started to roll out when the government proposed it is considering to overturn the voting rights act and especially Section 5 associated with it. None of us can deny the importance of the voting rights act of 1965. But trying to overturn it has bought into picture several parties in the voting procedure. It is evident that certain states do not allow a particular group of people to vote equal to others because of various discriminations and this act is their only refuge.

Legal battles started to rule out full-fledged when the court said it will reconsider certain parts of the voting rights acts like section 5. This clause was initially drawn to protect the integrity of the electoral process carried out in the southern states. Project on Fair representation headed by Edward P. Blum was the first organization to bring this to the notice of the court. Many civil rights organizations pointed out there is no necessity to change the law while people in the opposition party called it a "Jim Crow-era time wrap".

Section 5 requires certain Southern states to get a "preclearance" from the federal court before they impose any changes in the voting process within their area of control. Section 5 was added to safeguard the rights of the African Americans who were treated in a different manner by the Southern states when it was actually formed. With the times changing rapidly, many feel there is no necessity for the 9 Southern States Alabama, Arizona, Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia to follow it still.