(NAME-MCE) Voting Rights

[Sandra Winn]

Here are some historical considerations when reading about voting rights,
which leads me to believe that the previous posting may be a hoax.

Voting was covered in three constitutional amendments passed the year the
Civil War ended in 1865 and just after. The 13th outlawed slavery. The 14th
stated that all blacks are given all natural rights of American citizens and
the 15th in 1870 prohibited federal and state governments from refusing
citizens the right to vote because of their race, color, or because they
were ever a slave. It's an amendment to the constitution, which is permanent
unless removed and does not require extension.

I believe that Bush is referring to the Voting Rights Act. This was
originally passed by the LBJ administration to protect African-Americans
from unfair practices aimed to limit their registering or voting freedoms.
Here's a great and accurate synopsis I found,
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/intro/intro_b.htm

The VRA is a piece of legislation that has been used repeatedly to protect
the rights of people of color of all kinds and people in poverty. The idea
driving this legislation was to empower legally minorities and protect them
from legal oppression. It's been said that it was the mechanism that forced
the south to move past civil war policies even though it has been 100 years
since the war.