SUFFRAGE AND CIVIL RIGHTS

The Fifteenth Amendment1) The right of the citizens of the United

States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United State or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

2) The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation

And that means…. If you are a man, you can vote, and this

right is constitutionally protected by congress, right?

WRONG! That was the intent, but in actuality it

was very ineffective due to the implementation of various laws and taxes put in place to prevent African Americans (mostly) from voting.

Acts of violence against these communities also acted as a deterrent

More Locals passed laws requiring literacy tests and

poll taxes that minorities could not pay, pass, or were not even allowed to take. Whites used these tests to disenfranchise minorities

Congress knew this was happening yet did nothing to prevent it, rendering the Amendment ineffective. It took 90 years for this to change.

Random Fact: California was the last non-southern state to ratify the amendment. Ratified in 1962

Gerrymandering this is where district lines are purposely

drawn to negate or lower the voting power of certain groups.

Examples of groups that have been affected by gerrymandering : African Americans, Latinos, Puerto Ricans, Democrats, and Republicans.

Civil Rights Legislation The Early Years: some of the first civil rights

actions that Congress and the Supreme Court enacted were The Civil Rights Act of 1957, which created a commission to investigate discrimination cases and empowered the Justice Department to enforce the 15th Amendment through the use of court orders or “injunctions”. The case Gomillion v. Lightfoot, the Supreme Court ruled that gerrymandering was illegal, though the practice continued for sometime

The Legislation Continues Civil Rights Act of 1964: made the practice

of discrimination illegal in employment and education. Though the act was passed, it still lacked enforcement, and only angered a population base ready to resort to violence. Voter Registration drives, lead by civil rights activists from both the North and South led to violence in the forms of race riots, and in some areas, murder. In some cases the National Guard and the Army was called out to end the violence.

Something finally works! The Voting Rights Act of 1965: applied to

all elections, nationwide regardless of level. The act was only to be in force for five years, but it has been extended multiple times, most recently in 2006 by then President Bush, who extended it for 25 years.

Provisions of the Act Established federal oversight of elections Set up “covered jurisdictions”- areas with

histories of discriminatory practices were told that they could not make changes to the voting system without approval of the Justice Department under a system called “preclearance”. These areas include: Alaska, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia (with the exception of Sandy Springs)

Preclearance The system by which all legislative and

legal matters having to do with voting in several areas are reviewed before they are allowed to take effect. Items reviewed include placement of polling places and redistricting.

Amendments 1970 : extended 5 years, added new areas, placed

temporary ban on literacy tests

1975 : extended 7 years, permanent ban on literacy tests, mandated the printing of ballots in languages other than English (Spanish, Native American Languages, Inuit, ect.)

1982: extended 25 years

1992: modified language requirement, ballots only available to languages with communities of populations of 10,000+

2006: extended 25 years

Challenges to the Voting Rights Act

Over the years, there have been several challenges to the law, specifically in preclearance. Georgia especially has challenged this on several occasions, in the area of preclearance. Their case states that times have changed and that the laws no longer need apply, but these calls have been ignored

Challenges have also beset the multilingual ballots which some groups say are a waste of money and encourage ESOL individuals not to become proficient in English.

The End…. Or is it?