JC
Call me ignorant, but I had no idea that there was an expiration on the provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. I remember a friend mentioning to me a few months ago, with concern, “Oh my god, no one is talking about this…blacks aren’t going to be able to vote if it expires!” Well, there is some truth to that. While all would still legally have the right to vote, without the renewal of the bill, we would have to fear inequality and discrimination at the voting booths. Some say we still have to worry (I would agree!). Just because Bush has approved this, it doesn’t mean that it will be enforced (enforcement looks like equal access and no voter intimidation and suppression — all would be welcomed equally to the voting process, anywhere).

“Today, we renew a bill that helped bring a community on the margins into the life of American democracy,” Bush said. “My administration will vigorously enforce the provisions of this law, and we will defend it in court.”

Noting the president’s words on enforcement, civil rights activist Al Sharpton said: “You can bet we’ll make sure that he keeps his pledge.” Sharpton called on Bush to meet immediately with civil rights leaders to talk over how the Justice Department will monitor the enforcement of the act. “Today’s events represent a significant victory for African-Americans, but a complete victory it is not,” Sharpton said.

Civil rights activists accuse the Bush administration of politicizing the Justice Department’s civil rights division, and say it has turned a blind eye to voter suppression tactics, such as photo identification provisions and citizenship requirements, in states across the nation.

All I know is that I saw quite a bit of intimidation and suppression going on in this last Presidential election (I participated through Swirl’s campaign to get people of color to the polls as a way of standing up against voter intimidation and suppression…during Election Day, I was in Madison, WI, helping out there) — as I recall, Bush was President then too… and wasn’t doing too much to help. But that’s probably because it worked in his favor not to enforce fairness. There were many reports of unfriendliness in certain areas, polling places opening late and closing early…all in areas that typically had large populations of voters of color. Not coincidence, I tell you. It’s going to take vigilance and more of us getting involved to ensure that the right people are at the polls — people who believe in the right for all to participate in each and every election.