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DEL.ICIO.USFighting the Voting Rights Act, county-by-county
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you think Georgia’s Republican members of the U.S. House have given up the fight against the Voting Rights Act, think again.
This summer, Congress passed, and President Bush signed into law, a 25-year extension of the measure that requires federal monitoring of election matters in Southern (and a few other) states.
But in a press release issued this afternoon, U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood declared that the cause is not yet lost.
First comes a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the 41-year-old act. “Whether it succeeds is anyone’s guess,” he says.
More interesting is a new strategy: Individual counties within the South (Georgia alone has 159) can individually petition for release from federal oversight. Norwood wants a parade.
“The overwhelming majority of counties are likely eligible today for immediate release from federal oversight,” Norwood says.
To win release, a county would have to show a clean record for the last 10 years, in which:
— No poll tax was levied or literacy test was issued;
— The county cooperated with the U.S. Justice Department, allowing it to review all changes relating to voting;
— The county hasn’t lost any lawsuits charging voting discrimination;
— No federal examiners have been assigned to watch polls;
— And a few other requirements too technical to go into here.
Says Norwood: “The tidal wave of litigation could force the Justice Department and the federal courts to grant immediate relief for the vast majority of counties. The party hack attorneys at DOJ would still have the state at large under their heel, but no longer our counties.”
Comments
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By HallGOP
September 11, 2006 5:57 PM | Link to this
Hat’s off to both of them
By Debbie
September 12, 2006 8:11 AM | Link to this
I agree with what Norwood is doing. I was agianst extension of the VRA on the grounds the act should apply to all 50 states or none at all.
Why should we continue to be punished for the wrong of our fathers and grandfathers? Times are different today. Discrimination knows no geography.
By Dan Matthews
September 12, 2006 8:54 AM | Link to this
Norwood should apologize first for his comments to a crowd at the Green County Farm Bureau where he commented about the worthiness of killing senators who do not support his xenophoblic immigration policy. No one is taking this buffoon seriously. He has replaced Cynthia McKinney as the national laughing stock of Georgia politics.
By Debbie
September 12, 2006 9:06 AM | Link to this
Dan, I would like to see proof of your allegations about Norwood. Put up or shut up.
There you go with the name calling again. You pro illegal immigration folks call names becaus eyou can’t win the debate. Well following your logic, you think it is ok to violate the laws of this country because you support illegal immigration. What is it about the work ILLEGAL that you can not understand?
By Meltdown
September 12, 2006 5:04 PM | Link to this
Would this be the same Charlie Norwood, who according to “onthe issues.com”: Voted YES on prohibiting lawsuits about obesity against food providers. (Oct 2005) Voted YES on limiting attorney’s fees in class action lawsuits. (Feb 2005) Voted YES on restricting frivolous lawsuits. (Sep 2004)
I guess it’s only frivolous if you don’t agree with the outcome.
By John C. Fremont
September 14, 2006 2:45 PM | Link to this
Mr. Norwood is nothing more than a former Dixiecrat who turned to my lifelong party because of his racist views toward black Republicans like myself. The vast number of intelligent Republican congressman will not let this racist Republican persevere. Charles Norwood is a disgrace to the GOP of Abraham Lincoln. I pity his poor soul—as he should even today try and walk on my nearly 80 year old feet of continual racial discrimination into the 21st century.