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Essay / Voting Rights Act - 2003
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law that would prohibit discrimination in voting. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 authorized the enfranchisement of massive numbers of racial minorities, which was the primary goal of the bill. After the bill was passed and signed into law, there was a sharp and steady increase in voter registrations of minorities ranging from Hispanic Americans to African Americans for decades. In recent years, there have been attempts to pass what are now called "voter ID laws," which would require potential voters to provide some sort of state-issued ID and, in some cases, a photo ID in order to vote and cast their ballot. . Supporters of the bill say its goal is to prevent voter fraud, while opponents of the bill say it is unnecessary and is being used to prevent low-income (usually minority) voters from voting. . Opponents of the bill also argue that these bills violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965, specifically Section 2. Section 2 states: "No electoral qualification or prerequisite for voting, nor standard, practice or procedure will not be imposed or applied by any State or political party. subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on grounds of race or color.” Opponents of the bill view the implementation of voter ID laws as a direct violation of Article 2. Due to the large number of minorities who would not be able to vote, the ID law would serve as a prerequisite that would primarily deny racial minorities. So when looking at the adoption of voter ID laws, as it relates to the Voting Rights Act, do voter ID laws violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act? voting rights by having a disproportionate effect on minority voters? The V...... middle of paper ......the number of Hispanic voters is expected to increase significantly in coming years, and in safe Republican states like Texas, which polls 38 electoral votes, it could very easily become a swing state. While the idea of preventing voter fraud is noble, it is not a big enough problem to propose new legislation that will prevent many eligible citizens from voting in elections. Voter ID laws appear to disenfranchise many minority and eligible voters. To say that the sudden increase in voter ID legislation is politically motivated is not very hard to believe. The Voting Rights Act was created to protect minorities from discrimination in elections. It was enacted to protect a person's civil rights. In the years and decades following its immediate implementation, the United States saw a significant increase in minority voting.