Lamar Smith seen as threat to VRA

by: sonia

Tue Jun 27, 2006 at 11:56 PM CDT

The Hill 6/27/06
GOP splits but Dem deal on VRA holds
(snip)
Democrats and civil-rights leaders compromised on measures regarding voter protection, including those to curb the use of photo-ID laws, to ensure that a bill would be passed before the bill sponsor, committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), gives up his gavel at the end of the legislative session, according to several Democratic sources in the House, including multiple committee staffers.

Democrats are concerned about the possibility of Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) as the next committee chairman and the prospect of a significantly weakened Voting Rights Act under his chairmanship.

(snip)
He (Smith) said that the pre-clearance requirement would "overly burden many jurisdictions" and that "we should not automatically apply these requirements to jurisdictions that no longer disenfranchise minority or other voters." That parallels the argument put forward by GOP congressmen regarding Section 5 during the contentious conference meeting last week.

This is disgusting! All the more reason we have to work like hell to make sure this 20 year DeLay clone is not re-elected.  He's just a parrot for the GOP gang of voter thugs.  Lamar Smith, John Carter and the whole gang of TX republican Congressmen say that Texas no longer disenfranchises minority voters.  Yeah right.

Good links to follow:

• civilrights.org Protecting Voting Rights - Renew the VRA- Texas VRA Snapshot
  
• Think Progress FACT CHECK: There is Racial Bias in Texas
  

We need John Courage to send Lamar Smith to his Cape Cod home to plot his next career this November.