Nearly two years after the Supreme Court struck down the heart of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, President Barack Obama renewed his call for Congress to break through its partisanship and restore the law.
Now, Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Charlie Dent is joining five other Republicans and several Democrats to try to do just that.
Dent is one of six Republican co-sponsors on a new bill that would amend and restore the provisions of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. The bill was introduced by GOP Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner.
The Pennsylvania Republican appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show on Monday night in support of the bill, which has not yet made it out of committee. Dent, who has been outspoken about his frustrations with his party this session, believes the Voting Rights legislation would have no problem finding support on both sides of the aisle.
“There would be strong Republican support,” Dent said on the show. “True, there are only 6 Republican co-sponsors, but there is considerably more Republican support for the bill than there are co-sponsors.”
The Voting Rights Act, which had repeatedly seen strong bipartisan support, has diverged into a partisan issue, with many Republicans contending there is no need to restore the law. Dent, though, is confident that Sensenbrenner’s bill “strikes the right balance.”
“I think he threads the needle,” Dent said. “He protects state rights and voting rights. He does it in a way that prevents discrimination, and I think it really should be given a very serious look by my colleagues.”
Sensenbrenner’s bill establishes what Dent calls a “national model” for which states or jurisdictions would be under “preclearance” — or, in other words, would be required to get any changes in election laws approved by the Justice Department.
In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the preclearance formula in the Voting Rights Act, ruling that it was based on antiquated data. Sensenbrenner’s bill establishes a formula under which jurisdictions that are violation-free for 10 years will be removed from preclearance. In addition, those jurisdictions who behave poorly will be placed under preclearance.
Based on this formula, just four states would currently be under preclearance, as opposed to nine under the old legislation.
Dent feels that any Republican hesitation to support Sensenbrenner’s bill simply comes from a lack of understanding of its formula, one he calls “a little complex for some who aren’t familiar with it.” With the right understanding, Dent has no doubt the bill would pass overwhelmingly.
“I believe if this thing ever gets a fair consideration on the House floor, it’s going to sail through, just like in 2006,” he said. “I voted for that reauthorization, as well. I was proud to support it. The Voting Rights Act is the most significant piece of Civil Rights legislation ever passed in American history.”
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5 Responses
One day Pennsylvania will join the rest of the civilized world with voter ID.
Thank you, Representative Dent, for supporting the Voting Rights Act. It is absolutely vital in a democracy to ensure that all citizens have the right to vote. The horrible injustices done to blacks in the 50’s and 60’s prior to the passing of the Civil Rights Act must never be recreated. Yet the radical wing of the Republican Party is working hard on gerrymandering, voter suppression, and impossible voter ID laws so that they can stack the deck in every election and insure victory for themselves. We may have a black president, but racial hatred is rearing its ugly head again and we need the Voting Rights Act fully enforced by the U.S. Government now more than ever. Representative Dent, please persuade your colleagues that this Legislation must be a priority vote in the immediate future before another election is stolen from we the people.
@Rodger What do you guys do while in that conservative think tank?
Or is think tank more a metaphor than an actual place?
I could live with this bill.
No new legislation is needed. The Supreme Court struck down only one provision in the Voting Rights Act, and there are plenty of other voting-rights laws available to ensure that the right to vote is not violated. What’s more, the bill that has been drafted is bad legislation. For example, it does not protect all races equally from discrimination; it contains much that has nothing to do with the Supreme Court’s decision; and it itself violates the Constitution by prohibiting practices that are not actually racially discriminatory but only have racially disproportionate effects. The bill is also not really bipartisan; at recent Senate hearings, it was clear that no Republican would favor it, because it is designed to give a partisan advantage to the Left.