Bill Text: NJ AR39 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges United States Supreme Court to uphold provisions of Section 5 of Voting Rights Act.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-16 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [AR39 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-AR39-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER
District 28 (Essex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Jasey and Caride
SYNOPSIS
Urges United States Supreme Court to uphold provisions of Section 5 of Voting Rights Act.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Assembly Resolution urging the United States Supreme Court to uphold the provisions of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Whereas, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is arguably the most important civil rights legislation enacted and reauthorized by Congress, as it protects across the land the guarantee that no citizen shall be denied the right to vote based on race, color, language, or other artificial barriers; and
Whereas, Following decades of disenfranchisement of African Americans and others through poll taxes, literacy tests, gerrymandering of election districts, and other impediments to voter registration and participation, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 clearly and unequivocally requires all states to uphold the 15th Amendment, thereby prohibiting the abridgement of the right to vote on a nationwide basis; and
Whereas, The act also includes special enforcement provisions, such as Section 5 of the act, which requires jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory voting practices and the greatest potential for discrimination to submit for review by the United States Attorney General or the United States District Court for the District of Columbia any changes that affect voting before they can be implemented; and
Whereas, Congress has reauthorized the special enforcement provisions of the Voting Rights Act in 1970, 1975, 1982, and 2006, and has at times made changes to the implementation of Section 5, such as a change that currently allows covered jurisdictions to bail-out of the requirements for pre-clearance of their voting changes if they have established a non-discriminatory record under certain circumstances; and
Whereas, It is thanks to the Voting Rights Act and its enforcement provisions that the right to vote has been protected and upheld for all United States citizens without regard to race, color, language, and artificial barriers to the franchise; and
Whereas, The United States Supreme Court must uphold the provisions of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in recognition of the key role they play in securing and protecting voting rights for all citizens; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This resolution urges the United States Supreme Court to uphold the provisions of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, in recognition of the key role they play in securing and protecting voting rights for all citizens without regard to race, color, language, and artificial barriers to the franchise.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to each Justice of the United States Supreme Court and to each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the United States Supreme Court to uphold the provisions of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, in recognition of the key role they play in securing and protecting voting rights for all citizens without regard to race, color, language, and artificial barriers to the franchise. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is arguably the most important civil rights legislation enacted and reauthorized by Congress, as it protects across the land the guarantee that no citizen shall be denied the right to vote based on race, color, language, or other artificial barriers.
Under Section 5 of the act, jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory voting practices and the greatest potential for discrimination must submit any changes that affect voting for review by the United States Attorney General or the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before they can be implemented. Covered jurisdictions currently include the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia in their entirety; several counties in the states of California, Florida, New York, North Carolina, and South Dakota; and two townships in Michigan. However, Section 5 allows covered jurisdictions to bail-out of the requirements for pre-clearance of their voting changes if they have established a non-discriminatory record under certain circumstances.
It is thanks to the Voting Rights Act and its enforcement provisions that the right to vote has been protected and upheld for all United States citizens without regard to race, color, language, and artificial barriers to the franchise. The United States Supreme Court must uphold the provisions of Section 5 in recognition of the key role they play in securing and protecting voting rights for all citizens.
