HR0801 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0801 LRB094 16358 HSS 51609 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Following the Civil War, Congress adopted the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment establishing the citizenship rights of all persons born in the United States and requiring that no one be denied due process or equal protection of the laws, and the Fifteenth Amendment securing the right to vote for all citizens regardless of a person's race, color, or former condition of servitude; and

WHEREAS, Despite the enactment of these significant constitutional commands, for nearly 100 years, states and local jurisdictions passed laws and instituted practices designed to circumvent the Civil War amendments; many states erected barriers to African-Americans' access to the polls, including infamous poll taxes and literacy or good character tests; African Americans and those who advocated on their behalf often were subjected to severe violence and intimidation, or in some cases death, if they attempted to register to vote or cast a ballot; and

WHEREAS, Confronted with aggressive and relentless defiance of the Constitution, Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in order to ensure that the rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were enforced; and

WHEREAS, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is widely viewed as one of the most successful civil rights statutes ever enacted; it bans literacy tests and poll taxes, outlaws intimidation during the electoral process, authorizes federal election monitors and observers, and creates various means for protecting and enforcing racial and language minority voting rights; and

WHEREAS, Although the struggle to ensure fairness in the electoral process continues, as a result of the Voting Rights Act racial and language minorities have enjoyed enhanced opportunities to participate in the electoral process, cast votes, and elect their candidates of choice; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, certain "special provisions" of the Voting Rights Act that were enacted to address discriminatory voting practices and the present effects of those practices could expire if not renewed by Congress; and

WHEREAS, These provisions include:

Section 2: This provision equips voters with the means to challenge election laws that result in a denial or abridgement of voting rights on account of race, color, or language minority status;

Section 4: The coverage provision, which determines which states and jurisdictions must seek Section 5 pre-clearance; the coverage formula reaches states and jurisdictions with some of the most active histories of discrimination;

Section 5: The federal pre-clearance of voting changes provisions, which requires covered jurisdictions to prove that voting changes are not discriminatory before they may legally take effect;

Sections 6-9: The Federal Examiner/Observer provisions, which set forth criteria for election monitoring by the Department of Justice; and

Section 203: The bilingual voting materials provisions, which mandate that certain voting materials must be translated for language minorities in certain jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, By 2007, Congress will vote on whether to extend these "special provisions" of the Voting Rights Act; the effects of the long history of voting discrimination persist; the "special provisions" of the Voting Rights Act continue to be extremely important tools for protecting minority voting; during the reauthorization process, Congress will compile a record that sets forth the continuing effects of the nation's widespread voting discrimination; and

WHEREAS, During the reauthorization process, Congress and individuals and organizations concerned with maintaining the protections that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 provides will have an opportunity to present the evidence necessary to support renewal of the "special provisions" of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; in the meantime, all eligible voters should register, confirm their registration status, and exercise the right to vote so that the long struggle to expand the franchise yields meaningful results; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress to reauthorize the "special provisions" of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois will collaborate with the NAACP to ensure the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.