Voting Rights Act: Still Needed
Jim Brown was discussing this law on his radio show this morning. He was stating that it treat’s Louisiana like 2nd class citizens and that the law is no longer needed. He complained about some of the requirements it places on our states and he believes that because there have been no issues of minorities being unable to vote that the law is antiquated and should be repealed. I couldn’t disagree more.
While the act may have achieved its goal to ensure that minority voters get registered, there are other issues where intervention is needed. I don’t believe that the overt racism, like people physically being restrained from voting, would occur. However, other forms of institutionalized racism might otherwise take place if it wasn’t for the act. Currently, any change in election laws require approval from the justice department. The state would have a check and balance on any changes it would make in redistricting. And with the possibility that Louisiana will be losing a Congressional seat, redistricting will become a very important issue and I, for one, want to make sure that no attempts are made to redistrict in such a way that would prevent minorities from having adequate representation.
States with histories of institutionalized racism should have to prove that it is ready to be trusted to treat each citizen equally, regardless of race or any other physical quality. And with the recent events in Jena Louisiana, and the institutionalized racism that was exposed, Louisiana still has a long way to go that it is ready to be removed from the restrictions placed on it by the act. The fact that the Klan is also alive and well on the Northshore doesn’t help matters either.