In March 1965, 600 black and white activists marched in Alabama to protest the continued disenfranchisement and oppression of black citizens. As the peaceful marchers approached Montgomery, the state's capital, they were sprayed with tear gas and beaten by state police and vigilantes before a nationally televised audience. The brutalization of the marchers-and many others who had fought for the same cause-was not in vain.
Five months later, then-President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. The VRA secured the right to vote for millions of black and minority citizens across the United States. The legislation's future, however, is in question, as major components of it will expire in 2007.
Today, the future of the VRA will be debated at Duke during an all-day conference, entitled "W(h)ither the Voting Rights Act?," to be held in the John Hope Franklin Center. Two contentious parts of the VRA are up for renewal in 2007-Section 5 and parts of Section 2.
Section 5 requires certain jurisdictions to have "preclearance"-meaning changes in voting procedures must be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. This section was meant to stop the usage of discriminatory tactics to silence the minority vote.
"The goal [of the VRA] was the prevention of keeping blacks from being able to vote through devices such as poll taxes and literacy tests," said Paula McClain, a professor of political science and co-director of Duke's Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Gender in the Social Sciences. REGSS is sponsoring the conference.
Preclearance from the U.S. Department of Justice was required for districts that had clear discriminatory policies in place. Today, the states that require preclearance include Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. Regions of certain other states, including California, North Carolina and Virginia, also require preclearance.
Durham County is not among the 22 counties in North Carolina that must have preclearance. Neighboring Guilford County, however, home to Greensboro, has been required to get preclearance.
"Section 5 has made it possible for the government to put teeth in the 15th amendment," McClain said. The 15th amendment guarantees the right to vote for all U.S. citizens.
Under Section 2 Part 203, all election information available in English must be available in other languages if more than 5 percent of-or 10,000 people in-a district speaks only a foreign language.
This issue has gained greater importance in recent years, as Hispanics have become the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States.
Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union fear that, if the VRA is not renewed, the usage of English-only voting information may disenfranchise those not fluent in English.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.