Protecting Voting Rights Must Not End With VRA

Today, President Bush signed the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. Despite this historic and important move, as DNC Voting Rights Institute Chairwoman Donna Brazile noted in her column in the Roll Call newspaper, while "Congress was debating the merits of extending the VRA for 25 more years, our democratic process was under assault in a number of areas." From "the decision by the Supreme Court to uphold Texas' partisan, middecade redistricting plan to the attempt by Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell (R) to criminalize standard voter registration drive practices to the continued vulnerabilities of electronic voting machines, the integrity of our elections is under constant assault," wrote Brazile. [Roll Call, 7/25/06]

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement commemorating the reauthorization of the VRA and calling on Republicans to renew their commitment to voting rights:

"After more than 30 years, the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been reauthorized and restored to protect a new generation of Americans from discriminatory practices that work to impede Americans' access to the ballot box. This historic reauthorization came after much work on the part of Congressional Black Caucus and other Democratic members who fought tirelessly to pass the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 (HR 9).

"As we celebrate this victory we must also renew our ongoing commitment to fight other efforts to erode and restrict voting rights. From partisan redistricting to restrictive voter ID regulations, to the vulnerabilities of electronic voting machines, to attempts by Congressional Republicans to water down the VRA with amendments only a few weeks ago, the assault on voting rights continues today. It is not enough to simply sign this, legislation. The Bush Administration must keep its commitment to enforcing the Act's critical provisions.

"If we are truly to reaffirm our commitment to voting rights, the Bush White House and the Republican Congress must work to ensure that all lawfully eligible voters are able to cast their votes and have those votes counted. This is the true intent of the Voting Rights Act and of those who have fought and continue to fight for the right to vote."