WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressional attempts to “fix” the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court struck down an antiquated provision would extend the Justice Department’s reach while excluding “non-minorities” from protection.
Identical bills — H.R. 3899 and S. 1945 — have picked up bipartisan support, with 175 co-sponsors.
But instead of reforming the VRA, the legislation abets another administrative power grab, critics say.
Upset that the high court struck down “preclearance” rules granting the Justice Department special authority over election laws in 15 mostly Southern states, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., introduced bills to expand the DOJ’s powers.
“The most alarming aspect involves subjective trigger mechanisms,” said Jay DeLancy, executive director of the Voter Integrity Project of North Carolina.
“The federal power grab would then start with five specified complaints being filed in a targeted state within a 15-year period,” he told Watchdog.org. “Acting as both judge and jury, the DOJ would only need to sustain those complaints before awarding itself complete control over that state’s entire electoral process.”
Hans von Spakovsky, a scholar at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the bills’ “stated purpose is to prevent racial discrimination.”
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