Voting Rights Act does more to Balkanize America than to assist eligible voters

“The Voting Rights Act has long been regarded as one of the nation’s most successful civil rights laws, ending decades of discrimination that disenfranchised millions of black voters in the Deep South. But Congress is now considering whether to extend certain provisions of the act, which would otherwise lapse in 2007. One provision, usually referred to as Section 5 of the act, requires specific jurisdictions to submit to the Department of Justice for pre-clearance any proposed changes in voting procedures, such as moving polling places or redrawing district boundaries. Another provision, known as Section 203 or the Bilingual Election Requirements, forces hundreds of jurisdictions across the country to print ballots in languages other than English ”” an expensive and divisive practice. Neither of these sections of the act should be reauthorized, but Congress may find it difficult to do the right thing. “

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