African-Americans may no longer be able to vote after 2007

Submitted by pkmlk on March 27, 2006 - 11:19am.

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Monday, March 27, 2006

African-Americans may no longer be able to vote after 2007

Below you will find a speech that Bill Cosby's wife gave at a function. Everyone please read this and pass it on to as many African Americans you come in contact with.

Camille Cosby just made a reference about the Voting Rights Act in her most open letter on racism. This is extremely important. We are quickly approaching the 21st Century and we were wondering, and when I saw "we", I mean others of us out there who wonder if everyone else out there knows what the significance of the year 2007 is to Black America?

Did you know that our right to VOTE will expire in the year 2007? Seriously! The Voting Rights Act signed in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson was just an ACT. It was not made a law. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan amended the Voters Rights Act for another 25 years. Which means that in the year 2007 we could lose the Right to vote!

Does anyone realize that African-Americans are the only group of people who require PERMISSION under the United States Constitution to vote! In the year 2007, Congress will once again convene to decide whether or not Blacks should retain the rights to vote (crazy but true). In order for this to be passed, 38 states will have to approve an extension. This is ludicrous! Not only should the extension be approved, but also the ACT must be made a law. Our right to vote should no longer be up for discussion, review and/or evaluation.

We must contact our Congress-persons, Senators, Alder persons, etc. to put a stop to this! As bona fide Citizens of the United States, we cannot "drop the ball" on this one! We have come too far to let government make us take such a huge step backward. So please, let us push forward to continue to build the momentum towards gaining equality. Please pass this onto others, as we are sure that many more individuals are not aware of this. I urge all of you that are able, to contact those in government that have your vote and make them aware of our combined concern for this issue. One voice!.....One Vote! You cannot complain, if you do not participate...local, State, & National

Seems like this act was already expired in...

Submitted by grinch on March 27, 2006 - 11:23am.

Florida under Jeb. Am thinking of the disinfranchised in the elections of 2000, 2002, and 2004.

Jeb got an extension, from the voting commission's investigation, to this year to fix Florida's voting problems...he has done nothing to date and is probably in violation of the ruling that was made[and amended]in 2001.

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

Ohio

Submitted by bettyhatesbushs on March 27, 2006 - 10:04pm.

Ohio also terminated African American voting rights in 2004.

Interestingly enough, it was an African American who terminated them: J. Kenneth Blackwell.

Can you say "Step 'n' Fetch It"???????????????

Jebby

Submitted by bettyhatesbushs on March 29, 2006 - 8:40pm.

Jebby isn't going to do anything except try to fix the midterm elections this fall before he has to leave office.

BUT JEB IS ROYALTY TOO...

Submitted by pkmlk on March 27, 2006 - 12:19pm.

JUST LIKE HIS BROTHER KING GEORGIE ... THEREFORE, HE TOO CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS!!! ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE BACK TO THE FEUDAL TIMES - THE FEW, THE ROYALTY & THE POOR, THE MASSES!!! NO MIDDLE CLASS ANYMORE!!!

This is just not true

Submitted by FlamingDem on March 28, 2006 - 9:20am.

In 1982, Reagan signed a 25 year extension and amended Section 4 of the Act which covered some formulas and voting for people who couldn't speak English. African Americans do not need this Act to vote as that was taken care of after the Civil War by the 15th Amendment:

U.S. Constitution: Fifteenth Amendment
Fifteenth Amendment - Right of Citizens to Vote

Amendment Text | Annotations
Section. 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Section. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation

Which is not true? That the

Submitted by Bill Harding (not verified) on March 28, 2006 - 12:56pm.

Which is not true? That the VRA is necessary, or that AA voters in your state (Fla) were disenfranchised? When asked about the VRA a while back, Dubya said that he "was not familiar" with it.

If the 15th Amendment was doing such a great job, why was the Act considered necessary in the '60s? Are you seriously trying to tell us that African American citizens across the South are not treated any differently at the polls than other citizens?

The VRA has become a symbol of the struggle for Equal Rights in this country. That struggle has NOT been won, and continues -- especially for African Americans and other minorities.

The statement that blacks can't vote without the VRA is not true

Submitted by FlamingDem on March 28, 2006 - 1:35pm.

The Voting Rights Act corrected many inequities such as the literacy tests and poll taxes. It was and probably still is a necessary Act but it was never intended to be permanent as it is not necessary in every state. The VRA performed the very important function of making the promise of the 15th Constitutional Amendment (enacted right after Civil War) a practical reality for many African Americans living in the South.

You keep missing the point.

Submitted by Visitor on March 28, 2006 - 1:49pm.

You keep missing the point. While the Constitution does indeed guarantee all citizens the right to vote, in practicality it wasn't happening until the Civil Rights movement of the '60s. In actual practice it is not happening in 2006 either, in many parts of the country.

Your naive belief that the VRA has "done its job," and is no longer needed sounds very Republican (or Libertarian). Your state, Florida, is one of the many rednecked Southern states that need not only the VRA, but something much stronger -- like federal intervention (not likely under this bigoted administration) to ensure equal voting rights.

The Constitution also guarantees us protection from illegal searchs and wiretaps. The Constitution guarantees us many Rights which the neocons and this administration ignore on a daily basis. Why would we expect that the right to vote would be treated any differently?

Dubya was partially correct on one point: the Constitution is just a meaningless piece of paper if it is not defended, reaffirmed, and enforced on a daily basis.

Florida is not a redneck state anymore

Submitted by FlamingDem on March 28, 2006 - 5:23pm.

But as I said "The VRA was and probably still is needed." Where could anyone get the idea that I thought the VRA had "done its job and is no longer needed?" I don't think it will be necessary forever but it is still important in many areas of the country. There are instances where I think the provisions of the VRA are onerous such as when it requires that counties segment their areas rather than have countywide races but that's another topic.

Sorry, but you are wrong.

Submitted by Visitor on March 28, 2006 - 6:11pm.

Sorry, but you are wrong. Florida IS a predominantly redneck state, and until people like Harris and Jeb are run out of town, it will remain a redneck state.

Your argument that racial discrimination does not exist at Florida polling places because of the 15th Amendment does not hold water. The 90,000 disenfranchised voters that Grinch refers to were indeed in the papers (well, maybe not Florida papers), as well as other news outlets, including this blog. They were citizens who were "warned" that unless they met certain "tests" they could go to jail for voting. They were citizens whose names mysteriously disappeared from the rolls. They were citizens who were confused by Harris' misleading ballots, and whose votes were disqualified. They were American citizens who were victims of the Republican-controlled Florida government, and its corrupt electoral process. And, they were overwhelmingly African American citizens.

You can be an apologist for your state, and its rednecks, but you can not dispute the facts. Florida, along with its "Deep South" Southern neighbors, is one of the pockets of entrenched, hardcore racial discrimination and religious bigotry which remain in this country.

Instead of attacking the VRA and those of us who defend its continuation, why not attempt to clean up the mess in your own backyard? Why not work to make the 15th Amendment work as it was intended, instead of apologizing for the likes of Kathleen Harris and Jeb Bush -- bigots who champion Florida's rednecks?

I never attacked the VRA or those who defend it

Submitted by FlamingDem on March 30, 2006 - 11:40am.

Once more, my quote is "The VRA was and probably still is needed."

I simply pointed out that blacks and other minorities would still be able to vote without it. Blacks do not need this Act to guarantee their right to cast a ballot as one poster assurted.

And, God forbid, I certainly have never apologized for Jeb Bush or that witch, Katherine Harris. What post are you reading?

Not to worry Flaming...we sometimes get bogged down...

Submitted by grinch on March 30, 2006 - 11:48am.

in very precise English...something that several generations of Americans were never exposed to. In other words...wait a bit and a seeming attack will go away in most cases.

Dems.com was begun as a community...many members have been together for a long time. This is still a community and that is the feel we wish to continue.

Sometimes education hurts.

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

Black Americans do not need

Submitted by Jim on March 28, 2006 - 1:55pm.

Black Americans do not need the 15th Amendment in order to have a vote in how we live together.

On the other hand, Mythos

Submitted by Jim on March 28, 2006 - 1:59pm.

On the other hand, Mythos keeps a certain subset of jerks inline, hence your 15th, AND Bill, grinch, and Camille’s 15th + VRA.

Many things are "just not true" yet they have been made manifest by this administration.

Problem is that Blacks have been disenfranchised...

Submitted by grinch on March 28, 2006 - 9:53am.

most notably in Florida and now Ohio. Some 90,000+ were not allowed to vote in Florida 2000, 2002, and again in 2004. As to Ohio, some Blacks waited in long lines up to 10 hours to vote--many turned away and went home. In both cases in both states...there was real evidence that Blacks were turned away, were not allowed to vote for the most inconsequential of reasons, and not one official has ever been punished in any way.

They had the right to vote. They were not allowed to exercise that right. What else can you call it?

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

What 90,000 are you talking about?

Submitted by FlamingDem on March 28, 2006 - 5:27pm.

I would like to answer your question but I am not sure about the 90,000 blacks that were not allowed to vote in Florida. I live here and missed that on the news. Are you talking about the spoiled ballots? or the people added to the "felon list" who were not felons? or simply people turned away at their precincts because of their skin color?

Actually Flaming...it was more than 90,000...

Submitted by grinch on March 30, 2006 - 6:06am.

who were turned away from the polling places...or whose ballots were destroyed. It was also all the newly registered(legally)students from Florida Universities and Colleges. This game plan was also followed in the Ohio debacle.

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

What is truly pathetic

Submitted by bettyhatesbushs on March 29, 2006 - 8:44pm.

is that blacks in Ohio were disenfranchised by ANOTHER BLACK MAN, J. Kenneth Blackwell, who is running for governor on the GOP ticket!

And you thought, Condi, Clarence, and Keyes were BAD!

None of us have a particular "right" to vote

Submitted by blueink on March 30, 2006 - 5:59am.

Actually, it's almost a wonder we have "rights" of any sort left...

...voting is not a right, but a privilege granted or withheld at the discretion of local and state governments. (and they get to decide who is "qualified" to vote.

Seems to me it ought to be a guaranteed right by way of the Constitution, but that would require an amendment and politicians aren't, apparently, too keen on such a thing.

In any case, even if we do get to vote--will our vote count? That's an even bigger problem that we haven't sufficiently addressed and we don't have alot of time before the next go round. Yes, I know we all know... but still.

Federal election law controls what state lasws...

Submitted by grinch on March 30, 2006 - 6:10am.

and rules can apply to citizen voting situations. May have been put in writing about the time the VRA was passed. This precluded all the nonsense about being able to read material presented...or paying poll taxes and all the jumble of local 'unwritten' stumbling blocks put in the way of those citizens attempting to vote.

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

Here is part of the Voting Rights Act of 1971...

Submitted by grinch on March 30, 2006 - 7:15am.

US Code Collection: Title42>chapter20>subchapter/1971 & 1971.Voting Rights.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/42/chapters/20/subchapter...

NOTE that voting is a RIGHT, not a priviledge. Driver's Licences are a priviledge.

A careful reading of this ACT makes one wonder why the Republican Operatives who stopped the vote count in that one Florida precinct by yells, pounding on the walls, and intimidation are still not charged and not sitting in prison contemplating their sins against humanity.

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

Republicans will disenfranchise African-Americans before then

Submitted by bngood40 on November 4, 2006 - 11:03pm.

The Republicans have disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Black voters by writing new voter laws, by expunging the voter rolls(Kenneth Blackwell expunged 305,000 from voters rolls in Ohio in 4 years) and by creating physical barriers to voting such as too few voting machines, defective voting machine etc. I wouldn't worry too much about the voters rights act being extended because by that time the Republicans will have disenfranchised all Blacks and most Democrats from voting. After all its a Nazi state, what would you expect?

Come on this is a

Submitted by moda253 on November 6, 2006 - 1:00pm.

Come on this is a hoax.

http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hoaxes/hoaxDetails.asp?HName=African+Americans'+Right+to+Vote&Page=6

I agree with it's message but it is a hoax and shouldn't be put on here.

There is no fundamental right to vote

Submitted by LootieMaye on November 6, 2006 - 1:22pm.

The fundamental reason is this: The U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to vote, and therefore Congress fails to establish enforceable uniform standards or a unitary voting system. While it is true that the Constitution does protect against voter discrimination based on race, sex or age and prohibits the use poll taxes or literacy tests, it does not explicitly guarantee that U.S. citizens have a right to vote.

You might say, "But Congressman, I have been able to register to vote and cast ballots my entire life, what do you mean I don't have a right to vote?" The fact is that as an American, you don't have a citizenship right to vote. Voting in the United States is a "state right," not a "citizenship right."

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.

That's how Bush got by with his bullshit. It also makes the fear that African Americans no longer being able to vote after '07 irrelevant. None of us have a fundamental right to vote. That is decided by our state legislatures. As it stands now, we vote for electors - not for candidates.

If we're going to concern ourselves with what is a hoax and what is not, perhaps we should start with the delusion that citizens have a fundamental right to vote and we should do something about that. It, after all, is not a hoax.

Conservative. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from a Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.

~Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1914, American Author, Editor, Journalist.

Well I would think that

Submitted by moda253 on November 6, 2006 - 3:27pm.

Well I would think that spouting off rhetoric designed to flood email servers would make us look pretty dang foolish.

If we want to work for voters rights then yes by all means we should work on that. But to do it by promoting a known and diagnosed hoax will not do us any favors.

I can see it now "Look at those liberals, they want to run the country based on internet hoaxes and heresay."

Come on I saw that email hit our servers several times because some poor sap thought they were saving the country without researching what it was they were sending out first.

All I'm saying is before trumpeting what he said she said we should find out if it is actually true first.

Further if anyone believes

Submitted by moda253 on November 6, 2006 - 3:35pm.

Further if anyone believes that black people wouldn't have a right to vote in this country post 2007 then you need to find some solid ground and firmly plant your feet on it. There is no way any administration would be secretly planning something like that. Sorry I don't buy it. Why wasn't it resolved during the clinton years? The carter years?

It is true that no such law or provision should exist stating the parameters of whether or not black people can vote at all in this day and age. And any such law or provision should be made canon.

But do you really think that post 2007 that black americans won't be allowed to vote???I guarantee that if we make this a rally cry any more than just ridding any stupid parameters surrounding black voters and we will look like absolute paranoids.

Nobody is making this a rallying cry.

Submitted by Jim on November 6, 2006 - 3:52pm.

-The general point of concern stands, regardless of other issues: spam, etc.

-Saying "Black people will not be able to vote after 2007" does NOT mean anyone is saying that "Black people will not be able to vote after 2007". Adults (as opposed to Right Wing jerks and cowering Dems) know what we are discussing here, including caveats and footnotes.

-YES, there is a small chance that this could be used to disenfranchise black voters. Even Dictators use nuance. Think last minute efforts to patch this problem creating logistic nightmares which lead to "lost" voter registrations, etc.

Were this to pass muster, the disinfranchisement of...

Submitted by grinch on November 6, 2006 - 4:04pm.

Black or other voters as a 'gameplan' would be a total disaster. Cities across the country would be burned to the ground...and rightly so.

I would consider this a hoax. Katie Harris and her infamous list did enough damage for which so far at least, no redress has been made in certain states.

A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.

Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623

The greatest derangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.

Louis Pasteur