Georgia and the Voting Rights Act - We've changed dambit!

[burythehatchet]

Both of the remaining amendments, sponsored by Georgia GOP Reps. Charlie Norwood and Lynn Westmoreland, target the VRA’s Section 5, which mandates that states with a documented history of discrimination must “pre-clear” any changes to their electoral practices with the Justice Department.

The amendments would, respectively, reconfigure the formula used to apply that section of the law — which the Georgia lawmakers have argued is outdated and unfairly targets states including their own — and establish an expedited procedure for qualified jurisdictions to “bail out” from the law’s requirements.

In other news...

Voter ID Law Is Overturned
Georgia Can No Longer Charge For Access to Nov. 8 Election

By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 28, 2005; Page A03

In a case that some have called a showdown over voting rights, a U.S. appeals court yesterday upheld an injunction barring the state of Georgia from enforcing a law requiring citizens to get government-issued photo identification in order to vote.

The ruling allows thousands of Georgians who do not have government-issued identification, such as driver's licenses and passports, to vote in the Nov. 8 municipal elections without obtaining a special digital identification card, which costs $20 for five years. In prior elections, Georgians could use any one of 17 types of identification that show the person's name and address, including a driver's license, utility bill, bank statement or a paycheck, to gain access to a voting booth.

[rosesaylavee]

1. Come on! Its not that like

they would put forward any kind of legislation that would prevent non-whites or non-English speaking people from voting! Not like they would propose VOTER IDs that certain people may find confusing to get or would have trouble getting.

Not Georgia? Not these Georgia Peaches. Just forget what they did in the past because they wouldn't THINK of doing the same now or in the future.

:sarcasm:

[burythehatchet]

3. The irony seems to be lost on these Reps

By the way, Westmoreland was the guy who Colbert busted. He couldn't name more than 3 commandments although he wants them in courthouses.

[rosesaylavee]

5. I know - that video will be one of his classics!

AND, I think the Judge that ruled against the voter ID was named Westmoreland. Not sure if there is family connection there...

[fasttense]

2. Well, I guess the GA legislation's plans for a poll tax are out. n/t

[RDANGELO]

4. dignified bigotry

Unfortunately, in todays America, you can get away with doing something that is racially motivated as long as you act dignified and pretend that it is about something else. The id cards in Georgia are supposedly to keep Illegals from voting.

[rosesaylavee]

6. Thankfully, I don't think many were fooled by these bozos. n/t

[burythehatchet]

7. Actually the ID cards were for the purpose of

keeping the poor and blacks from voting. The first version of the ID was to charge for the ID. That was ruled unconstitutional because it amounted to a poll tax (really, we've changed) and the second version did not charge but the republicans know that as many as 30% of black elderly people have no birth certificate to be able to get the ID.

[RethugAssKicker]

8. We've not seen the end of this!!... These bastards

control all political offices in Georgia... They will regroup and think of other ways to disenfranchise us!