Texas to test 1965 voting rights law in court

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco Editor

Forty five years ago the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was all but a slam-dunk. In 1965 the law was approved by the US House of Representatives by a vote of 333-95. The US Senate passed the law 77-19. It’s been part and parcel of US election law ever since, but in recent years the VRA has come under fire. Critics claim it’s outdated and no longer useful, and defenders of the law remain steadfast in defending the need for federal protection of minority voters.

The first and by some accounts strongest challenge to the Voting rights Act began today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where the legality of Texas’ voter ID law will be argued and decided. The hearing is expected to last all week, with a scheduled 25 hours of testimony.

This is the first of what are expected to be several challenges to the Act. And while they all claim to be anti-voter fraud in purpose, there are undertones that have little to do with voting or elections. Truth be told, who could possibly be against fighting voter fraud? But blow the dust off the veneer and a different image comes to light.

A little history: In 1965, when the VRA was overwhelmingly approved with the backing of Southern Democrats  the group was predominantly white. Since then, southern whites have shifted to the Republican party and minority voters have concentrated in the Democratic ranks. Now, it’s the Republicans in the Southern states that have led the charge for Voter ID, and in essence against the VRA.

This all began when the Obama administration blocked Texas’ Voted ID law, saying it was unfair to minority voters. Some folks down in Austin didn’t like that one bit and they started the judicial challenge that’s now before the justices in D.C. Two of the three judges in that court were appointed by Democratic Presidents so court watchers think the challenge has little chance of prevailing. But think of the Texas challenge as the first of many to come, because the VRA has become soaked in politics – it’s origin in racial voter suppression speaks volumes of what’s at stake.

Check back with us; we’ll be keeping an eye on this case for you at NewsTaco.