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| Photo Courtesy Of NPR.org |
Election integrity is essential in
American politics. Many see the Voting
Rights Act as a step to ensure election integrity; however, the Supreme Court
disagreed. On Tuesday, June 25, the
Supreme Court struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act in a 5-4
decision. The Supreme Court decided to
strike down section 4 of the act, which requires nine mostly Southern states
with histories of minority voter intimidation or disenfranchisement to seek
federal approval before changing election laws.
Required federal approval was needed to change election procedures such
as registration, redistricting, and Voter ID laws. This may not mean the end of complete federal
oversight, but it is improbable that the lack of federal oversight will damage
election integrity in modern times.
While the GOP was relatively content with the decision, Democrats were highly disappointed in the court’s ruling, often citing civil rights movements and leaders. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated the progress achieved in civil rights was “disserved by today’s decision” about her dissenting opinion. Chief Justice John G. Roberts wrote in the majority opinion, “Our country has changed. While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.” The majority opinion holds that any required federal oversight of voter laws must be based on current information. However, with Democrats controlling the Senate, and Republicans controlling the House, it is unlikely an agreement for any federal oversight on state voter laws will be found.
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| Voting Rights Act Clearance Required - Wall Street Journal |
Wisconsin’s voter ID bill was passed in 2011, but was ordered stopped from taking effect by Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess. On May 30, 2013, the 4th District Court of Appeals in Madison overturned the circuit court’s decision in a unanimous decision that it did not violate the Constitution. The groups who initiated the lawsuit against the bill are considering challenging Wisconsin voter ID in the Supreme Court. However, because the Supreme Court recently threw out a similar lawsuit blocking Texas voter ID, it is unlikely they will hear the case. The Supreme Court also upheld the Constitutionality of voter identification laws in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board in 2008. This signals that the Wisconsin voter identification law will indeed go into effect.
The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down required federal oversight is a victory for election integrity. In these modern times, racial prejudices and minority voter disenfranchisement at the polls simply does not happen on a large scale. Indeed, it is time to stop punishing Southern states for the injustices of a generation ago. The ruling will help many states to enact voter identification laws to ensure the integrity of elections, without much, if any, federal oversight. Implications of the decision will not only affect those nine states that used to require federal approval in election law changes, but will affect all 50 states. States can now enact laws which benefit election integrity, which ultimately will ensure the integrity of American politics.
See also:
- Supreme Court throws out lower court's ruling on Texas voter ID law - Fox News
- Supreme Court Invalidates Key Part of Voting Rights Act - NYT
Freedom Weekly News
Published: Freedom Weekly, July 24, 2013 Vol. 003 Issue 015
