Tuesday, March 7, 2006
SHINING A LIGHT ON AMERICA’S FRAGILE VOTING RIGHTS
By Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri
Next year, the most fundamental right of Americans comes up for legislative review when Congress must decide whether to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act of 1965. While today we take for granted the right of all U.S. citizens to vote, it was just over 40 years ago that hundreds marched from Selma to Montgomery Alabama, to protest the denial of voting rights to African-Americans. This courageous march helped to catalyze the passage of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Recently, I had the honor of sharing the stage in St. Louis with civil rights pioneers Margaret Bush Wilson and Frankie Muse Freeman. We were joined by my colleague, Congressman Russ Carnahan, and other powerful voices at a town hall event hosted by Court TV, in partnership with The Lawyers Association of St. Louis, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and the Mound City Bar Association, as part of their 13th Annual Theodore McMillian Black History Month Dinner. Much of our discussion focused on the reauthorization of the voting rights act and the current proposal to require photo IDs for all voters in Missouri.
At a time when voting rights are increasingly under assault, this kind of forum plays an especially vital role in the preservation of our democracy. Indeed, just last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about Texas’ 2003 redistricting of the state’s congressional delegation. Several justices, including, most notably, Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, expressed concern over how particular districts were dismantled and reconfigured.
An investigative story published last week in the Washington Post reported that career legal professionals who work in the Civil Rights Enforcement Division of the Justice Department, determined that the Texas map, as envisioned by the indicted former Majority Leader, Mr. Tom Delay, systematically disenfranchised African American and Hispanic voters. And yet, the political appointees who had the final word ignored their own staff and stated that the Texas map did not violate the Voting Rights Act.
Meanwhile, in the Missouri legislature, the Republican leadership is pushing a proposal to require all voters to display photo identification. This law would effectively discriminate against African Americans, Hispanics, the rural poor, senior citizens and the disabled. There are currently 170,000 registered voters in Missouri who do not have a driver’s license. And despite assurances from the Republican leadership, it is simply not credible to promise that these citizens will be provided with quick, easy access to other government-issued photo ID cards. The real purpose of this legislation is not to combat voter fraud, it is to suppress voter turnout among certain citizens who are unlikely to support Republican candidates.
Through its “In Pursuit of Justice” initiative, Court TV shines a light on controversial issues of national importance, such as the precarious state of voting rights across the country. Charter Communications, which is based right here in St. Louis, is the local cable company that enables the citizens in this community to see and hear these issues on Court TV. Their partnership has been an important one for the citizens of St. Louis in educating the public about issues like how the fight for voter rights began 40 years ago, what the problems were then, and how they compare to what they are, today. Indeed, I commend Court TV and Charter for not only helping protect our voting rights but also for providing a much needed window on the American system of justice.