The H.R.4 - Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 was referred on March 25th, 2019, to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. It was Sponsored by Rep. Terri A. Sewell, (D-AL, 7th District) and has 224 Co-Sponsors.
The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 responds to Current Conditions in Voting today by Restoring the Full Protections of the Original, Bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was last Reauthorized by Congress in 2006, but Gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Following the Shelby County Decision Four Years ago, many States Passed sweeping Voter Suppression Laws that Disproportionately Prevent Minorities, the Elderly, and the Youth, from Voting.
The Act will:
- Provide the Tools to Address these Discriminatory Practices and Seeks to Protect All Americans’ Right to Vote. The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 creates a New Coverage Formula that applies to All States and hinges on a Finding of Repeated Voting Rights Violations in the Preceding 25 years.
- Significantly, the 25-year Period “Rolls,” or Continuously Moves, to keep up with “Current Conditions,” so that only States that have a Recent Record of Discrimination in Voting are Covered.
- States that have Repeated and Persistent Violations will be Covered for a Period of 10 years, but if they Establish a Clean Record moving Forward, they can come Out of Coverage.
The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 establishes a Targeted Process for Reviewing Voting Changes in Jurisdictions Nationwide, Focused on Measures that have Historically been used to Discriminate against Voters:
- The Process for Reviewing Changes in Voting is Limited to a Set of Measures, such as the Institution of a Voter ID Law or the Reduction of Multilingual Voting Materials, Practices that have Historically been found to have the Greatest Discriminatory Impact.
– Allows a Federal Court to Order States or Jurisdictions to be Covered for Results-Based Violations, where the Effect of a Particular Voting Measure, including Voter ID Laws, is to Lead to Discrimination in Voting and to Deny Citizens their Right to vote.
- Increases Transparency by Requiring Reasonable Public Notice for Voting Changes.
- Allows the Attorney General Authority to Request Federal Observers be Present Anywhere in the Country where there is a Serious Threat of Discrimination in Voting.
- Revises and Tailors the Preliminary Injunction Standard for Voting Rights Actions to Recognize that there will be Cases where there is a Need for Immediate Preliminary Relief.
- Increases Accessibility and Protections for Native American and Alaska Native Voters.
The Shelby 2013 Decision left the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in Place, but required Congress to Update the Coverage Formula, which Congress has Not done.
I would take this Process out of the Hands of Congress. First a New Coverage Formula has to be created. Then this should be the process:
1. After the Census, All States sends the Last 10 years of Voting Records to the Voting Rights Section of the Department of Justice. The Voting Section Enforces the Civil Provisions of the Federal Laws that Protect the Right to Vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Acts.
2. After Review, some States will go On Preclearance and some will Not.
3. Then the State's New Maps can be Drawn. Those on Preclearance will need Approval of their Maps and All Voting Changes going Forward.
4. After 5 years, those States on Preclearance can ask for a New Review and ask for a Bail-Out.
5. Built into the Laws, Citizens in States, Not on Preclearance can go to Court, and ask for a Review of their Voting Process, and ask that the State to be put on Preclearance, called Bail-In.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
