TALKING POINTS: Voting Rights Act, Reauthorization
Talking Points:
The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 (S. 2703/H.R. 9) was introduced in the US House and the US Senate with strong support from both political parties.
Though S. 2703/H.R. 9 is a bipartisan bill, its passage is endangered by the efforts of a handful of Republican members of Congress from Southern states who believe that the expiring provisions are no longer needed and constitute an undue burden on states.
The NAACP asserts that present day attempts to limit the franchise of minority voters, such as the barrier imposed by requiring photo ID to vote in Georgia and the lack of voting accommodations for thousands of African-American voters who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, indisputably mark the need for the expiring provisions of the VRA.
Extensive hearings in the House and Senate conclusively demonstrated continued threats to equal voting access including voter intimidation, last minute changes in polling places and district gerrymandering, at-large elections and annexations that have diluted the voting strength of the minority electorate.
The NAACP believes that S. 2703/H.R. 9 is a commendable bill that comprehensively protects voting rights for people of color. It should be passed without amendment.
NAACP National Headquarters
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore MD 21215
