Civil & Human Rights

Senate Judiciary Committee to begin hearings to amend the Voting Rights Act

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Talking Points Memo reports that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is following through on his promise to begin hearings to amend the Voting Rights Act. Senate Dems Set July 17 Hearing On Voting Rights Act:

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has scheduled a
hearing on Wednesday, July 17 to consider a congressional response to
the Supreme Court's ruling striking down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

The witness list so far includes Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a civil
rights icon, and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), a key Republican
supporter of the Voting Rights Act.

"The Voting Rights Act has been a central pillar of the civil rights
laws that have helped bring America’s ideals closer to reality for all
Americans," Leahy said. "Congress reauthorized this law with
overwhelming bipartisan support, and we again must work together to
ensure that no Americans are discriminated against when exercising their
fundamental right to vote. I look forward to hearing next week from
Congressman Lewis and Congressman Sensenbrenner, two lawmakers who were
instrumental in the 2006 reauthorization and who I hope to work closely
with again this year."

The hearing will be livestreamed at this link.

Pro-Choice Advocates Fight Back in Wis, NC, & Texas

by

by Pamela Powers Hannley Pro-choice advocates are fighting the Republican Party's anti-woman laws in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Texas. In Wisconsin, a federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order to block enforcement of the anti-abortion legislation signed in secret by Governor Scott Walker on July 5. From the Huffington Post… U.S. District Judge William Conley … Read more

The White Man’s Party moves to kill comprehensive immigration reform

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Last week I posed the question, Is the GOP becoming the White Man's Party?, based upon a provocative series of articles by Sean Trende at Real Clear Politics arguing that the GOP does not need to improve its appeal to Latino voters as much as it needs to improve its appeal to the "missing white voters" of its base.

Today we know the answer to the question: the GOP has dramatically shifted to the position that the House does not need to take up comprehensive immigration reform any time soon, and the GOP should focus on appealing to the "missing white voters" of its base.

The "Pinky and The Brain" of movement conservatism intellectual thought, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol and National Review editor Rich Lowry — two of the most influential conservative voices in media — co-signed an editorial today in The Weekly Standard urging House Republicans to "kill the bill."

Governor Bobby Jindal, the self-styled "Brain of Baton Rouge," who famously advised the GOP that it has to "stop being the stupid party" earlier this year, penned a column today for the National Review on immigration reform entitled “Botching immigration again,” in which he also comes to the conclusion to "kill the bill" (without saying so directly).

(Update) Automatic (universal) voter registration fails by a single vote in the Oregon Senate

by

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I posted about this legislation in Oregon last week. Automatic (universal) voter registration – Oregon leads the way.

Sadly, the legislation failed by a single vote in the Oregon Senate when a Democratic defector joined with Republicans to defeat the bill. The Oregonian reports, Oregon Senate rejects universal voter registration proposal:

Legislation aimed at adding hundreds of thousands of registered voters
in Oregon failed by a single vote in the state Senate on Sunday.

Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, joined with all 14 Republicans to
defeat a bill that would automatically register eligible voters when
they received new or updated driver licenses in Oregon.

Secretary of State Kate Brown had promoted House Bill 3521 as an ambitious way to remove barriers to voting and greatly increase voting participation in the state.

* * *

[Critics] said they feared the bill would lead to greater voter fraud in
Oregon and that anyone who cared enough to vote should take personal
responsibility for registering.